This report describes how Romania organizes, manages and provides information, guidance and counselling services and what are perceived to be the key challenges, which the country is facing to improve such services. This World Bank sponsored study is one of seven in developing countries, which use a similar approach for studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 14 countries, and the European Union (EU) in 17 countries.

Information, guidance and counselling services refers to services intended to assist individuals of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational training and occupational choices to better manage their careers. They include a wide range of activities: for example, activities within schools to help students clarify career goals and understand the world of work; personal or group -based assistance with decisions about initial courses of study, courses of vocational training, further education and training, initial job choice, job change, or work force re-entry; computer-based or on- line services to provide information about jobs and careers or to help individuals make career choices; and services to produce and disseminate information about jobs, courses of study and
vocational training. They include services provided to those who have not yet entered the labor force, services to job seekers, and services to those who are employed.

Using a format adapted from OECD studies, the relevant information has been collected by means of OECD/EU Guidance Questionnaire completed by Mihai Jigau and other official sources mentioned in the study. The following report has been completed with inputs received at a stakeholders workshop, from visits made by the authors to a number of career guidance services and from meetings with policy- makers, administrators and guidance practitioners (on 29 and 30 May).

The report is designed to contribute to the development and modification of policies and practices in career information, guidance and counseling services in Romania. It is important to recognized the context in which the guidance services are being analysed including: (a) current economic conditions, high unemployment especially long-term unemployment particularly among youth; (b) the growth of economic disparities that lead to social imbalance; (c) the emigration phenomenon, especially among people with superior education and training level; (d) the shortage of public resources and large demand to increase access and equity in provision of social services; and (e) lack of recognition to career development services, where a relatively small investment can have
considerable return with regard to economic development, social cohesion, equity, labour market efficiency, and efficient of use of public funds. Finally, the report provides a basis for comparison with policies and practices in other countries, which will be the subject of an international conference in Toronto in October 2003.