ReportCompetence Framework_DEF_19.06.2018

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2017-1-SK01-KA204-035385] Also it was noted that career counseling carries important responsibilities. The individual involved with guidance must be professional, knowledgeable, continually renew his/her knowledge as the work environment and the employment needs change, and needs to also listen and understand how/what/when/why a person fits in specific career paths. So, the main challenge is to ensure that you understand what is going on in the working environment to ensure that you are in a position to guide individuals in need to the best possible direction . In the question (4) “How do you overcome the challenges and difficulties you face?” it was reported that they try to overcome the challenges by applying several techniques and strategies. For example, first of all they ensure that they are updated, study, prepared and current with both the demand and supply site of the worker/professional flow of individuals into the workforce. It was also noted that it is important to understand the individual needs, strengths and weaknesses of the individuals involved . They also try to make the clients feel comfortable and trust them in order to be able to support and provide help and advices. So they try to be empathetic about the sensitivities of these individuals . Combining replies from questions (5) and (8) we got the following: It was noted by all interviewees that they try to constantly improve their skills and knowledge and constantly be updated on the latest trends and on new techniques. A professional coach also mentioned that he believes that he has currently most competencies necessary to be an effective career guidance counselor. However, they agreed that since this field is a dynamically changing field and each individual involved in the field needs to be able to continually renew their knowledge, experience and expertise. So they are self-motivated to keep being updated on the field, read current trends, be trained and systemically reflect on the procedure. In the question (6) “Do you think career guidance and coaching is a developing field in your country? Why? Why not?” professionals responded that they overall think that the situation in Cyprus today, has really been improved since the last five years. So, they reported that since career guidance is a developing field all over the world, it is also developing and growing in Cyprus as well, but with slow rhythms . However, they all agreed that it is a developing field. Additionally, it was reported by an interviewee that companies need to be agile and nimble and they need to reskill their workers continually if they are to remain competitive in the Marketplace. Thus, career Guidance professionals are partners and the liaison between both individuals and companies. As this idea of collaboration becomes more accepted, career guidance counselors will become more critical in the whole process. Concerning question (7) “What are the main techniques that you use in your daily practice with low skilled adults and why?” a responded told us that she tries to do activities with their clients. For example, in order to build trust and make them realize they usually watch movies together, try to map the skills and competences of the clients and create a connection with them.