Dissemination event of results and best practices within the Project “From Education to Decent Work”, Sibiu County

Dissemination event of results and best practices within the Project “From Education to Decent Work”, Sibiu County

The project “From Education to Decent Work”, focused on students in secondary and professional education from Sibiu County, has reached the end of its first implementation phase. Yesterday, during the dissemination event held at the Sibiu Village Museum, the project’s results and impact on students were presented. The event was attended by project partners, including the HEKS/EPER Romania Foundation, the Orthodox Philanthropy Sibiu, and the Open Fields Foundation, as well as representatives of the Sibiu County School Inspectorate, collaborating schools, and other institutions in Sibiu County (County Agency for Payments and Social Inspection, County Center for Educational Resources and Assistance, General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection, County Employment Agency).

It has been over eight years since our foundation has been active in the field of education, and for five years, we have been supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including through career counseling. In Sibiu County, we have supported over 2900 students from 20 schools over the past three years. We are grateful for the achievements made in a relatively short time.

These results would not have been possible without the good cooperation of all involved stakeholders:

• The Sibiu County School Inspectorate, which has supported us since the project inception phase;
• Our partners, the Orthodox Philanthropy Association Sibiu and the Open Fields Foundation, who implemented activities on the ground;
• The collaborating schools, which supported us in carrying out activities;
• Companies and public institutions that facilitated visits and collaborations for job mediation.

Most of the counseled students were in the 8th grade and 11th grade of professional education, our activities being focused on two essential moments in their educational journey:

• transition from secondary school to high school or professional schools;
• transition from professional schools to the first job.

Another important focus has been counseling girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and their families, highlighting the importance of education, girls’ right to education, and the significance of continuing studies. Starting from this school year, boys in the 4th and 5th grades have also benefited from similar activities.

Career counseling and orientation activities conducted during the school year have included group and individual counseling sessions, the use of the Cognitrom Career Planner platform, organizing visits to companies and excursions, family counseling, and discussions with professionals from various fields. Graduates from the 11th grade who wished to enter the workforce were supported through job mediation activities. For students in the 4th and 5th grades, numerous practical activities, games, and workshops for mothers and daughters have been organized.

Through the project’s activities, we have contributed to increasing the transition rate from the 8th to the 9th grade in collaborating schools (the transition rate being over 94%) and over 100 professional school graduates have been assisted in finding employment. The implemented activities have also contributed to increasing students’ self-confidence and motivation to continue education.

In addition to working with students, the project included an advocacy component, with the most important recommendations conveyed to decision-makers regarding career counseling being:

• compliance with legislation regarding the maximum caseload for school counselors, set at 500 students per counselor, with subsequent reduction;
• introduction of a minimum number of mandatory hours for career counseling, starting from the 5th grade;
• development of a standardized methodology;
• provision of necessary counseling tools.