Contact details

Submitted by: Heidi Nyroos, humanitarian aid advisor, Finn Church Aid

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.kirkonulkomaanapu.fi/en/

Introduction to the project

Country

Cambodia, Uganda, Jordan, Myanmar

Duration

2014-2021

We expect it to be refunded and incorporated into national education system.

Description

Career Guidance and Counselling (CGC) brings pathways to employment and earnings, which eases pressure on host countries. Refugees can earn a living and integrate into their host communities. Economical self-reliance enhances stability and prevents internal conflicts between refugees and host populations. Supporting transitions from education to the labour market and increasing participation of youth in the labour market leads to economic growth for host countries.

More focused and sustainable career choices and career planning skills bring resilience throughout the span of ones working life and during changes in the labour market. Better job-seeking and better education placement leads to decent work for individuals.

Knowledge of further education possibilities enables a fluent transition to better training and employment after that.

Project aims

Cambodia example: The project aims to increased labour market participation of Cambodian youth by increasing their awareness of the wide variety of professions and available study paths they need to take in order to find employment. In addition, youth’s ability to recognize their skills is strengthened in order for them to aspire careers they find motivating.

Resources used

• Employee salaries
• Local travels and accommodation
• Support capacity building of staff
• Support career guidance and counselling practices of the youth
• Procure materials and tools
• Support trainee welfare
• Support exchange visits
• Organize career fairs
• Collaboration with local authorities

Partners 

• Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
• National Employment Agency in Cambodia
• Swedish Public Employment Service and Cambodian Teacher Education Institutions
• Teachers without borders

Challenges and how they were overcome

Career guidance and counselling was a new subject in Cambodia, without a Khmer language word for it. We also had to seek the commitment of governments. These challenges were overcome through communication, persistent involvement, advocacy an open collaboration with governmental bodies and authorities in all levels.

Results of the Good Practice

• In Cambodia the school drop-out rate has decreased significantly.
• In Uganda the employment after Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has increased.
• In Jordan, Syrian refugees and Jordanian youth in host communities received CGC services, incl. job-seeking training integrated to TVET, which increases their possibilities to employment after graduation.
• In Myanmar the school drop-out has decreased.

Today, career counselling and guidance is incorporated in the national curriculum, and more counsellors are continuously being trained in cooperation with the Cambodian Ministry of Education. The new project will lay the basis for expanding career guidance and counselling services across Cambodia on an even larger scale. The experiences and best practices have already been scaled to other countries and have a significant potential to be applied in multiple types of contexts and for different purposes.  

How the project meets the GCR Objectives

Objective 1: Ease the pressures on host countries

Objective 2: Enhance refugee self-reliance