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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Guidance and counselling in a lifelong learning approach

Belgium - Flemish Community

12.Educational support and guidance

12.8Guidance and counselling in a lifelong learning approach

Last update: 27 November 2023

Academic guidance

Adult Education (AE)

The funding system provides the adult basic education centres and adult education centres with an offer of general education and Dutch second language with an additional educational framework of 10 per cent for the organization of learning pathway guidance, the organization of activation and choice guidance and the organization of open learning centres. 

Part-time artistic education (PAE)

Not applicable: the CPG is not competent for PAE.

Vocational training VDAB

The various contents and steps of the training pathway are followed up by means of a technical-pedagogical file (TPD), permanent evaluation, team discussions, etc.

Entrepreneurial training SYNTRA Flanders

For work placement guidance see 8.5

SYNTRA Flanders can also finance a learning or language coach for entrepreneurship projects for courses intended for target groups and disadvantaged groups.

Training in Agriculture

No specific measures have been introduced.

Socio-cultural adult work (SCAW)

Not applicable.

Psychological counselling

Adult Education

Not applicable.

Part-time artistic education 

Not applicable: CPG is not competent for PAE.

Vocational training VDAB

Trainee students are supported during their training course.

Entrepreneurial training SYNTRA Flanders

Not applicable.

Training in Agriculture

No specific measures have been introduced.

Socio-cultural adult work 

Not applicable.

Career guidance

Everyone who works (both employees and self-employed) has the right to career guidance (Dutch only) once every six years. The career objective is then determined with the career counsellor and a personal development plan is drawn up and followed up. To this end, the Government of Flanders has recognized 19 career guidance centres of various organizations (Dutch only).

The SERV Competence Team has developed a database that can be consulted online, COMPETENT (Dutch only), with professional competence profiles linked to professional clusters. Competent is based on the professional database ROME v3. (Dutch only) Répertoire opérationel des métiers et emplois of the French employment service Pôle emploi., supplemented by information from the Flemish labour market.

Adult Education 

The new funding system will provide the basic adult education centres and adult education centres with an offer of general education and Dutch second language with an additional educational framework of 10% for the organization of learning pathway guidance, the organization of activation and choice guidance and the organization of open learning centres.

Part-time artistic education 

Not applicable: CPG is not competent for PAE.

Vocational training VDAB

The VDAB manages career guidance. VDAB is authorized to mandate career centres, to issue career cheques for employees in Flanders and to determine whether or not customers are entitled to more guidance.

The VDAB’s job centres are the point of contact for career services (information and advice). Job seekers and employees can visit these shops for information about the training offer in Flanders, the available jobs and further career opportunities. VDAB consultants and/or colleagues from local partner organizations provide explanations and support. The VDAB formulates requirements with regard to career guidance and monitors these.

Digitally, the VDAB also supports job seekers and workers. The VDAB website gives an overview of the professional data sheets and contains the professional orientation instrument Orient. In addition, there is the free CV database with CVs of applicants. Employers can select and contact interesting candidates from the database themselves.

The VDAB provides route counselling or “tailor-made job counselling”. This method implies in-depth and personal coaching of the job seeker and can consist of several steps: 

  • diagnosis and route determination (qualifying intake, screening, orientation, psychological and medical examinations, profiling, information sessions, previous education),
  • job application coaching and coaching in the field of work attitudes,
  • training in a centre.

Entrepreneurial training SYNTRA Flanders

Not applicable.

Training in Agriculture

No specific measures are foreseen. International initiatives by the centres include subsidy channels.

Socio-cultural adult work

Not applicable.