Career guidance in Lithuania

The career guidance system is the entirety of institutions where professionals provide various services and organise activities to help individuals of all ages make decisions on learning, studies or work, acquire career skills, and manage their personal career. A career in the broad sense is the lifelong sequence of learning and work experiences. In the changing world, a career is developed throughout a person's life, so services related to this process are relevant at any age. Each person's life is linked to important choices concerning his or her learning, studies, occupation, job, lifestyle, etc. All of these choices are interrelated, and career management competencies help the individual make the right career decisions and then implement and evaluate them. Career management competencies are what a person knows, is able to do, and considers to be important and valuable, as well as other skills that are necessary in planning, implementing and evaluating (i.e. managing) one's personal career.

A career guidance system usually identifies the following services:

• provision of vocational information,
• vocational counselling,
• career development.

All of its services are closely related to one another and are rarely provided separately from each other.

Provision of vocational information – the provision of information that is necessary for planning a career, choosing or changing a profession, or selecting learning programmes, studies or a job. Career management may require information about institutions of education and science, entrance requirements, study and training programmes, qualifications, professions, the labour market, career opportunities, and so on. The provision of vocational information may take place individually or in a group. Channels such as specialised websites, printed publications and reference book are most often used in the provision of vocational information.

Vocational counselling – the provision of assistance to individuals who are planning a career, choosing or changing their profession, or resolving problems that are hindering their career. With career management, it is important to know and evaluate individual qualities, features of the profession, career opportunities, the situation in the labour market and so on. Vocational counselling may take place individually or in a group. Vocational counselling often includes various questionnaires, tests and assignments to help get to know a person's individual characteristics and interests and their links with the professional career, as well as other things that are important in career planning, implementation and evaluation.

Career development – the entirety of consistently applied measures that are used to develop an individual's career planning, implementation and evaluation, i.e. career management, competencies. Career development is usually associated with a special training course and assistance in drawing up an individual educational or career plan. In developing a career, it is also important to provide information and counselling services in various ways. 

The Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour are responsible for guidance in Lithuania.

In 2003, the Lithuanian Vocational Guidance Strategy was approved, which is being used as a basis for the development of the vocational information and counselling system in Lithuania.

Vocational information, counselling and career development services are provided at various institutions.