Across Europe, teenagers are being asked to make life-shaping education and career decisions earlier than ever โ often without the tools, confidence, or support they need. The CAGEA project explored whatโs really happening in schools and families when it comes to career guidance, and what needs to change.
This article draws on a major cross-country study covering Bulgaria ๐ง๐ฌ, Greece ๐ฌ๐ท, North Macedonia ๐ฒ๐ฐ, Portugal ๐ต๐น, and Spain ๐ช๐ธ. It combines:
- a review of 37 real-life career guidance programmes, and
- feedback from teachers ๐ฉโ๐ซ๐จโ๐ซ, students ๐, and parents ๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ
The overall message is clear: career guidance must start earlier, become more practical, and involve the whole ecosystem โ not just the student.
๐ What the research shows (in plain words)
Career guidance is no longer a โnice extraโ. When it works well, it:
- reduces student anxiety ๐ฐโก๏ธ๐
- improves decision-making ๐งญ
- connects learning to real opportunities ๐โก๏ธ๐ผ
- helps prevent early school leaving ๐ช๐
But across all countries, the study also shows a consistent problem: career guidance is still too uneven, too late, and too dependent on individual teacher effort rather than stable school systems.
๐บ๏ธ Country highlights: strengths and gaps
๐ง๐ฌ Bulgaria: strong tools + teachers who want to level up ๐
Bulgaria stands out for having strong digital resources and structured initiatives, including national online tools for career orientation. Teachers report high confidence in connecting education to professions, and they are among the most likely to say:
โWe need more training โ give us practical methods and tools.โ ๐งฐโจ
Whatโs working โ
- clear links between studies and professions
- strong awareness and use of resources
- high motivation for professional development
Main barrier โ ๏ธ
- lack of time and uneven integration into everyday school routines
๐ฌ๐ท Greece: awareness is there, but confidence is low ๐งฉ
In Greece, teachers show solid awareness in some areas (including labour market awareness), but they repeatedly report lower confidence in career guidance delivery compared to other countries. Guidance often happens through separate initiatives rather than being embedded consistently in school practice.
Whatโs working โ
- growing awareness of key guidance topics
- existing programmes and portals
Main barrier โ ๏ธ
- turning awareness into โI can actually do this well in schoolโ
- need for practical, ready-to-use formats
๐ฒ๐ฐ North Macedonia: school-based models and strong structure ๐ซโ
North Macedonia shows one of the most systemic approaches, with career support mechanisms linked to schools and supported through partnerships. Teachers report comparatively strong confidence, better administrative support, and more engaging delivery methods.
Whatโs working โ
- career support embedded at school level
- structured cooperation and school buy-in
- stronger teacher confidence
Main barrier โ ๏ธ
- scaling quality consistently and keeping tools updated
๐ต๐น Portugal: strong services, but teachers lack time โณ
Portugal has valuable guidance structures and services in the system, yet teachers consistently report time pressure, resource gaps, and weaker confidence around tool-based guidance. The issue is not whether guidance is valued โ it absolutely is โ but whether teachers have the capacity to deliver it day to day.
Whatโs working โ
- solid guidance services and frameworks
- strong belief that guidance matters
Main barrier โ ๏ธ
- not enough time and practical resources for teachers
- need for more user-friendly tools and templates
๐ช๐ธ Spain: many good practices, but uneven delivery ๐
Spain has a rich landscape of initiatives and partnerships, and teachers strongly believe career guidance is essential. At the same time, the data shows uneven implementation: teacher confidence and resourcing can vary significantly by school context.
Whatโs working โ
- many innovative programmes and collaborations
- strong leadership support reported in several areas
Main barrier โ ๏ธ
- inconsistency: good initiatives donโt always translate into everyday practice everywhere
๐ What students are telling us (across all countries)
Students share a common feeling:
โWeโre expected to choose, but we donโt really know how.โ ๐ตโ๐ซ
They describe:
- limited knowledge of career options beyond whatโs familiar ๐
- difficulty connecting school subjects to real jobs ๐โก๏ธ๐ผ
- low confidence about โmaking the right choiceโ ๐
- interest in tools that help them understand themselves ๐ช
What they want more of:
- practical experiences ๐ ๏ธ
- conversations and mentoring ๐ฃ๏ธ
- digital formats (short, visual, interactive) ๐ฑ๐ฎ
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ What parents are telling us (across all countries)
Parents are not indifferent โ they are deeply invested โค๏ธ โ but many feel:
- unsure how to guide without pressuring their child โ๏ธ
- excluded from school guidance processes ๐ช
- lost in unreliable or confusing information ๐ช๏ธ
They want:
- visual career pathway maps ๐บ๏ธ
- conversation guides ๐ฃ๏ธ๐
- trusted digital resources ๐โ
- stronger schoolโfamily communication ๐ค
๐ฅ Five cross-country insights that really stand out
- Start earlier ๐งโก๏ธ๐ง
Career guidance canโt wait until the last years of school. - Teachers care โ but they need support ๐งโ๐ซ๐งฐ
Motivation is high. The missing piece is time + tools + training that fits reality. - Make guidance practical and visual ๐
Short activities, quizzes, role models, and pathway maps beat long theory. - Leadership matters ๐ซโจ
When school leaders support guidance, teachers report better delivery and confidence. - Digital tools are essential ๐ฑ
Career guidance must meet students where they already are: online, mobile, visual.
โ Key takeaways for schools and education stakeholders
If Europe wants career guidance to truly work, the recipe is not complicated โ but it must be consistent:
- Protect time for guidance in the school schedule โณ
- Give teachers ready-to-use activities and templates ๐งฉ
- Build simple, trustworthy digital hubs ๐
- Create schoolโfamily communication tools ๐ค
- Use real-world exposure: workplaces, role models, projects ๐ญ๐ฉโ๐ง๐จโ๐ป
This research doesnโt just show whatโs missing โ it shows whatโs possible.
Career guidance is not about forcing teenagers to โpick a jobโ too early.
Itโs about helping them build self-awareness ๐ช, confidence ๐ช, and a sense of direction ๐งญ โ step by step, with teachers and families beside them.
And across ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ท ๐ฒ๐ฐ ๐ต๐น ๐ช๐ธ, the message is the same:
students are ready for career guidance earlier โ now the ecosystem must be ready too.
