Academic guidance

Slovak legislation on guidance in education does not provide conditions for the creation of a separate network of information guidance centres.

Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family provide guidance in education to their clients registered as job applicants to some extent. This guidance mostly has a form of a so called individual action plan. An individual action plan is a written document defining the procedures, measures and measures implementation plan which aim to increase a disadvantaged applicant’s chances to find a job.

In relation to the decreasing rate of registered unemployment, personnel capacities of counsellors in the offices of labour can be also used by the employed. 

The Association of Career Guidance and Development (SK) associates state, private and non-profit guidance providers. It aims to associate and create a network of guidance providers, support their professional growth, spread the awareness of career guidance possibilities and promote the interests of career guidance providers and their clients.

Information system of further education (ISFE) 

Information system of further education  (ISFE) (SK) is an information – guidance tool primarily designed for participants in education, whom it provides with basic information on accredited further education programmes. At the same time, it also provides basic information to further education providers.

Psychological counselling

Psychological guidance in regions is partly provided by various state and non-profit organisations as a part of community social services plans. However, they mostly operate on an informative level. Psychological guidance for adults is provided by Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family and by private persons and institutions.

Psychological guidance within the scope of the Ministry of Health is also paid for from public sources of health insurance.

Career guidance

Guidance service provided by offices of labour 

Guidance services for the unemployed, job applicants, and citizens at risk of losing their job are provided by regional Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. The offices provide their clients with information and guidance services and professional guidance services. 

Information and guidance services mainly include help with:

• choice of a profession,
• choice of a job, including a job change,
• selection of an employee,
• employee’s adaptation to a new job.

The offices also provide information on  

• professional skills and practical experience required for jobs on the labour market,  
• employment opportunities in Slovakia and abroad, and possibilities and
• conditions under which various benefits and allowances can be claimed.

Professional guidance services particularly focus on dealing with problems connected with job applicants’ work success, as well as their social and professional adaptation.

Regional Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family provide (in cooperation with educational institutions) also education of adults – job applicants.

Guidance-information centres for disabled citizens 

In order to help citizens with health disabilities, guidance-information centres for citizens with health disabilities started to operate in 2002 as a part of Phare programme.

Their primary target is to measure the work potential of people with health disabilities and help them find adequate jobs.At the beginning, methodologies were purchased, which enabled the professional counsellors, ergonomists and other aiding professions to work with this target group based on the detailed understanding of their possibilities and limits when looking for a job on the open labour market. Currently, there are six such centres.

Disabled people comprise a specific target group of disadvantaged job applicants. In 2002, guidance information centres for disabled citizens (SK) started to operate within  Phare programme. Their main task is to measure work potential of disabled people and help them to succeed on the labour market adequately. At the beginning, methodologies were bought from abroad, which enabled ergonomists, professional counsellors and others to work with this target group based on detailed knowledge of its possibilities and limits when looking for a job on the open labour market. Currently, there are   six such centres.  

Non-state employment services 

In 2004 sheltered employment agencies  became one of non-state employment services alongside guidance information centres in compliance with the Act on Employment services. There are approximately 50 such agencies  in Slovakia today. These agencies provide services aiming to keep employment or facilitate finding a job for disabled citizens and the long-term unemployed. They also provide professional guidance to employers on adapting work positions and work requirements to a specific disabled citizen.

Legislative references

National Council of the Slovak Republic, 2002. Act No. 131/2002 on higher education and on the change and supplement to some acts (Zákon č. 131/2002 Z.z. o vysokých školách a zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov) (last accessed 07/01/2020).

National Council of the Slovak Republic, 2004. Act No. 5/2004 on employment service as amended by subsequent provision (Zákon č. 5/2004 Z.z. o službách zamestnanosti o zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov v znení neskorších predpisov) (last accessed 07/01/2020).

National Council of the Slovak Republic, 2009. Act No. 568/2009 on lifelong learning and on the change and supplemet to some acts as amended by subsequent provision (Zákon č. 568/2009 Z.z. o celoživotnom vzdelávaní a o zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov v znení neskorších predpisov) (last accessed 03/06/2019).