CGC - Roundabouts for Digital Transformation / Professional guidance & counseling in transformation / - academic knowledge and skills of CGC practitioners

We applied for this project to strengthen the academic training of Career Guidance and Counselling (CGC) professionals in the context of digital transformation. Across Europe, workers and jobseekers – particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds – face a digital divide that limits their opportunities for learning, employment, and social participation. At the same time, higher education programmes for CGC have so far placed too little emphasis on digital literacy, methodological skills for networking, and system development. This gap makes it difficult for practitioners to support individuals and employers in adapting to rapidly changing labour market demands. The project addresses these needs by developing the “CGC Roundabout” method, an innovative multi-actor approach that links learners, employers, training providers, and guidance professionals to identify digital learning needs and strategies. By embedding this into higher education curricula, the project fosters digital readiness, resilience, and inclusive guidance, ensuring CGC practitioners can effectively promote sustainable employment and innovation in the European labour market.

The project aimed to enhance the academic training of Career Guidance and Counselling (CGC) professionals in higher education by equipping them with competences to address the challenges of digital transformation. We sought to develop a curriculum that integrates digital literacy, methodological skills, and networking competences, enabling students and practitioners to act as “network pilots” and “system developers” in line with professional CGC standards. Our objective was to move beyond individual counselling towards multi-actor approaches that connect learners, employers, and training providers. By implementing and testing the innovative “CGC Roundabout” method, we aimed to create a research-based and practice-oriented model that would be embedded into higher education programmes. This ensured that future CGC professionals gain the skills to identify digital learning needs, foster cooperation between stakeholders, and support disadvantaged groups in overcoming the digital divide. Ultimately, the project intended to strengthen the role of higher education in preparing guidance practitioners to actively shape inclusive and sustainable labour markets in Europe. Last the project aimed to provide all these results by a website.

We first established regional expert networks to align our activities with practice and to create arenas for testing and validating results. In Work Package 2 we designed the innovative “CGC Roundabout” method, developing guidelines, tools and training materials to help counsellors address digital transformation in cooperation with employers, training providers and learners. In Work Package 3 we piloted this method in several national contexts, conducting case studies and feedback rounds with counsellors, students and labour market stakeholders. These pilots allowed us to refine the methodology and demonstrate its value as a multi-actor approach to identifying digital learning needs. In Work Package 4 we integrated the results into higher education by developing a research-based curriculum for CGC students and by creating training modules for practitioners in continuing education. This ensured that the new method and competences became embedded in academic teaching and directly linked to professional practice, thereby strengthening the preparation of future counsellors for the digital age.

The project produced a set of concrete and sustainable outputs. Central was the development of the innovative “CGC Roundabout” method with guidelines, tools and digital resources. We piloted the method in several countries, resulting in case studies and tested practices that demonstrated its applicability across diverse labour market contexts. A new higher education curriculum for CGC students was created, complemented by training modules for practitioners in continuing education. We built strong networks with universities and experts from different European countries, ensuring academic exchange and mutual learning. Through these collaborations the method was embedded in higher education programmes and supported by scientific reflection. More than 80 students and 70 practitioners were trained with the Roundabout approach, improving their digital literacy and networking competences. Finally, wide dissemination activities – conferences, webinars, publications – raised awareness of the new method and highlighted the role of CGC in supporting digital transformation, thereby strengthening the future-readiness of the profession.