Danish quality assurance systems in career guidance include a number of issues, one of which is the users. Thus, two sets of quality manuals (Undervisningsministeriet 2004 a; 2004b) spells out three quality levels:
1. Activities (what kind of guidance activities?)
2. Results (are the users satisfied?)
3. Effects (at a societal level)
The statistical results of user-satisfaction surveys in, for example, the seven Studievalgcentres (regional HE-Information centres) are benchmarked nationally and yearly (see http://www.uvm.dk/vejl/studievalg_bruger.htm?menuid=7570). They show little regional diversity and a high degree of user satisfaction. But these surveys are of the limited use in determining the involvement of users beyond two simple questions:
‘Do you have sufficient information on educational options to make an informed choice?’. And if not: ‘Do you know where to find additional information?’.
Clearly, there is scope for further steps in terms of involving the users of guidance more actively in the guidance process and thus taking more ownership of their personal and career development. No doubt, such approaches are in operation in practice, but it is worth noting that the official quality assurance handbooks have little focus on the active involvement of the direct users. On the contrary, in the Danish case there is much emphasis of labour market and educational policy goals, i.e. broader societal efficiency and equity goals.
The Resolution on Lifelong Guidance (EU, 2004), however, states quite clearly as one of its central principles that the users are the focal point of guidance:
‘The centrality of the beneficiaries of guidance in both the design and evaluation of guidance
provision for both young people and adults.’
Clearly, this text puts a great emphasis on the involvement of the users in guidance, but only as far as being precisely a user. As demonstrated below, this is only one or two steps on the way to a much more profound and inclusive guidance policy-making agenda.
Danish Examples
Guidance will benefit greatly from the active involvement of guidance users, as demonstrated in the action-research project Eurocounsel (see http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/1997/27/en/1/ef9727en.pdf) which over a period of 5 years in the 1990 highlighted the importance of user involvement, in co-designing guidance offers (Hurley, 1994). One such Danish example, from Maribo in Southern Denmark, depicted the case of empowerment where a self-governing group of unemployed people made use of a meeting room at the local employment office, with free telephone and fax, and, importantly, access to guidance resources when and if they requested the guidance officer to be present in their group. They stated their needs. Thus, the power was with the unemployed, not with the employment service. This approach showed a way out of clientism (Plant, 1994).
One further and more recent example is the Association of People on Welfare Benefits, which is located on the easternmost Danish island of Bornholm. This remarkable activation project (supported by the EU Social Fund) for long-term unemployed people, which in fact is focused on excavation fossils of Danish dinosaurs, has become a tourist attraction in itself. It is based on a number of principles which all concern the importance of user involvement, apart from the fact that an enthusiastic leader is essential:
• Participation is voluntary – this is not the case in other activation projects
• Self-government and self-responsibility – the participants have formulated the framework and rules of the project
• The project has a clear goal and is of use to others
• Personal peer networks and thus peer-guidance are crucial to the success of this kind of bottom-up approach.
The project was evaluated by Pless (2000), who followed and interviewed the participants over a longer period of time, finding that the key to success of this project of long-term unemployed people, many of whom had drug and alcohol problems, lay in the genuine sense of ownership and commitment. This is also seen in the fact that the project has produced a children’s booklet on the findings as part of a dissemination strategy (Benthien, 2003). Few activation projects would have this kind of impact.
Taxonomy
Thus, user involvement can be taken even further, at three levels
• Individual level – Individuals are involved in shaping their
own experience of using the service.
• Service level – Service users and other interested parties
suggest how to improve the operation of the service, set
priorities, identify gaps, address unmet needs, and so on.
• Strategic level – Participation and consultation at the wider
strategic level of planning, developing and reviewing services.
Moreover, as part of the European Joint Actions project, Developing National Forums for Guidance in Six Member States (‘MEDSUI’, in which Denmark took an active part), Plant (2006) developed a five step taxonomy based on Arnstein (1969), to illustrate the potential power of involving users not only as consumers or clients, but as co-designers of guidance services at several levels (see Fig, below):
As this model indicates, involving service users at the level of policy and strategy development means moving well beyond the provision of ‘customer service’-style feedback or the rubberstamping of ideas that are already fully developed. Genuine user involvement implies discussion, negotiation, capacity building and partner-like arrangements between professionals and ordinary people in the interests of developing sustainable,
‘bottom-up’ approaches. This is social inclusion, community cohesion, active citizenship and participatory democracy in practice. It demands a real commitment to work alongside, rather than at arm’s length from, citizens (Plant, 2006).
Engagement on this basis aims to be empowering rather than manipulative, and has the potential to ensure that policies are developed that are consistent with the needs and interests of service users – from a bottom-up perspective, rather than a top-down one.
Why involve service users?
Specific arguments for involving end users in the development of guidance policies include that (Plant, 2006):
• It ensures that policy supports the development of guidance services that meet the needs of individuals, communities and other stakeholders.
• The barriers that prevent some groups from accessing services can be identified and addressed.
• The quality of guidance services is enhanced when users are involved in all stages of their development.
• Good practice can be identified and disseminated.
Beyond inclusion
What is, potentially, at stake here is more than the well-known social inclusion agenda, in which guidance may have three distinctive roles to play (Plant, 2005):
• Solving the problem
• Preventing the problem
• Coping… helping people to live with the problem.
In essence, involving the users as co-designers, is an agenda of democratisation.
References
Arnstein, S. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. In: American
Institute of Planning Journal, 35(4), pp. 216–224.
Benthien, R. (2003). Jagten på den danske dinosaur. Rønne: Sammenslutning af bornholmske bistandsklienter (SAB). Retrieved on 3 NOV 2007 from http://www.dinosauria.eu/Barn/Dino_barn_anmeld.php
CEDEFOP (2005). Improving lifelong guidance policies and systems. Using common European reference tools. Thessaloniki: CEDEFOP. Retrieved on 8 NOV 2007 from
http://www2.trainingvillage.gr/etv/publication/download/panorama/4045_en.pdf
EU-Commission (2004). Resolution on Lifelong Guidance. EU-Commission: Bruxelles. Retrieved on 8 NOV 2007 from http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/doc/resolution2004_en.pdf
Hurley, N. (1994). Eurocounsel. Case study portfolio: examples of innovative practice in labour market counselling. Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Retrieved on 8 NOV 2007 from http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/1997/27/en/1/ef9727en.pdf
Plant, H. (2006). Involving the users of guidance services in policy development. London: The Guidance Council. Retrieved on 8 NOV 2007 from http://www.lmvet.net/Apps/WebObjects/HI.woa/swdocument/1010939/Involving+the+users+of+guidance+services+in+policy+development.pdf
Plant, P. (1994). The End of Clientism: A Danish Example. In: IAEVG Bulletin, No. 55/1994
Plant, P. (2005). Guidance Policies: The Trojan Horse. In: International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 2005, Vol 5, No 2, pp 101-109
Pless, M. (2000). Sammenslutningen af bistandsklienter på Bornholm. Erfaringer fra et anderledes aktiveringsprojekt. København: Center for Forskning i Socialt Arbejde. Retrieved on 3 NOV 2007 from http://217.60.35.71/fsa/bornholm.htm
Undervisningsministeriet (2004a). Kvalitetssikring, udvikling og måling af vejledningsindsatsen. En håndbog for Studievalg centre. København: UVM/Rambøll Management. Retrieved on 8 NOV 2007 from http://www.uvm.dk/vejl/nyhedsbrev/haandbog_cenrtre.doc
Undervisningsministeriet (2004b). Kvalitetssikring, udvikling og måling af vejledningsindsatsen. En håndbog for Ungdommens Uddannelsesvejledning. København: UVM/Rambøll Management. Retrieved on 8 NOV 2007 from http://www.uvm.dk/vejl/nyhedsbrev/haandbog_uddvejledning.doc
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