1. Deliver information related to career guidance as a separate activity

2. Perform career guidance interviews

3. Carry out career guidance activities in small groups

4. Support clients on 1:1 base during a time span, including by networking and advocating on their behalf

Main task 1 is usually carried out by interactions lasting few minutes at the counters of career guidance services or by telephone or electronic mail. In this main task the practitioner doesn’t examine in deep the situation of the client, and only information is delivered.
Main task 2 is usually carried out on appointment in a reserved space. During the interview the practitioner carries out a in depth analysis of the situation of the client and assist him/her in drawing out a realistic action plan.
Main task 3 is usually carried out with students (often focused on improving knowledge of self, of educational opportunities and on improving decision skills) and adult unemployed (often focused on improving job search skills).
Main task 4 is usually carried out with clients with low employability (due to age, gender, stigma, health issues, etc.) or motivation.

On each main task, accreditation is granted to the practitioner for working with mainstream (same culture of the practitioner) students and adults, both employed and unemployed. Practitioners can ask to be additionally accredited also for working with other clients groups such as immigrants (differentiated by nationality), disabled, offenders and ex-offenders, native minorities.

EAF has a mosaic structure, that is to say each practitioner can choose the main task(s) in which to be accredited. For example career guidance practitioner A can be accredited for Main task 2 Perform career guidance interviews. Career guidance practitioner B can instead be accredited under Main task 1 Deliver information related to career guidance as a separate activity, and additionally with migrants coming from north Africa.

3. Why a main task approach is the best option for accrediting European Career guidance practitioners?

Because the traditional solution to accredit occupations is not practicable in career guidance in Europe, as career guidance is delivered across different countries by people with different occupations and qualifications (Evangelista 2007b). A main task based approach solves these differences because it focuses on what the person does in practice, notwithstanding his/her occupational role. A main task approach allows also to compare occupations with different names in different countries.

4. How the assessment is carried out in EAF?

EAF assessment is based on main tasks performance. This is to say during the assessment, the candidate must demonstrate to be capable to carry out the main task(s) for which he/she seeks accreditation. In Step 1 evidences such as educational qualifications, experience, self administered learning, testimonies from colleagues and supervisors, documentation produced by the person whilst carrying out his/her work, etc. are collected and submitted in a portfolio by the applicant and evaluated. In Step 2 the candidate is examined through an interview (vis a vis or in videoconference using Skype or Messenger) focused on how he/she carries out the main task on which accreditation is requested.

To standardize the assessment, a score system for evaluating the evidences presented and a blueprint for the interview are provided. As for the blueprint, during the assessment interview a person asking for accreditation under Main task 2. Perform career guidance interviews will be assessed under the following elements:

• C.2.1. Use appropriate interview techniques to manage the interview
• C.2.2. Assist clients to identify professional goals
• C.2.3. Assist clients to develop, implement and revise action plans
• C.2.4. Assist clients to make their job search more effective
  

For the element C.2.1. Use interview techniques to manage the interview the following questions will be used:

• 1. which are the main steps of your interviews?
• 2. in an interview, how do you (please tell me the exact words): start the interview / explain your role / explain privacy arrangements / signal time is limited / ask permission to take notes / signal time is expiring / end the interview /
• 3. which authors/models do you refer to when performing a career guidance interview?
• 4. what are the main challenges in managing an interview? How do you address them?

Similar lists of elements and related questions are provided for the other main tasks but for brevity are not reproduced here.

5. Why a main tasks performance based assessment is the best options for accrediting practitioners and people at work in general?

The other systems based for example on educational qualifications (accreditation is granted if the applicant holds the prescribed educational qualifications), experience (accreditation is granted if the applicant holds the prescribed experience), competencies (defined - Boyatzis 1982- as personal features -skills, knowledge, etc.- causally related with good performance: accreditation is granted if the applicants holds the prescribed personal features) are all indirect, that is to say speculative. If the candidate holds the prescribed qualifications / experience / personal qualities than PROBABLY will be capable to carry out the main task(s) for which accreditation is sought. Assessment based on main tasks performance as EAF instead evaluates directly how the practitioner carries out the main task(s) for which he/she seeks accreditation, so the final result is more reliable (Evangelista 2008a, 2008c). On regard to other accreditation frameworks where assessment is carried out at a distance founded only on documents (as for example EVGP), EAF is more reliable because also an interview is prescribed.

6. EAF is operative?

EAF has been launched in Italy as a real accrediting framework on October 2008. Implementation in other European countries is being considered; if interested in joining the Project, please contact me (Leonardo Evangelista) at my email address available here.

7. Where does EAF come from?

Leonardo Evangelista www.leonardoevangelista.it has been researching career guidance practitioners roles and accreditation since 2003. The European Project EAS (2006-2008, of which he was scientific director) gave him the possibility to further develop, discuss and pilot his ideas and findings with over 100 researchers, stakeholders and practitioners of 18 European countries. For a description of the Project EAS see Evangelista 2008b.

Bibliography

Evangelista L. (2007a) MTF, A Possible EAS Framework, retrieved on the 3rd October 2008 at http://www.orientamento.it/english/EAS3.pdf

Evangelista L. (2007b) Up patriots to arms! Why and how to structure an European framework for accrediting career guidance practitioners, retrieved on the 8th October 2008 at http://www.orientamento.it/english/patriots.htm