The document proposes a "NICE Knowledge Alliance" project to support the sustainability of the NICE network and quality of career guidance and counseling training in Europe. It involves 36 partner higher education institutions and enterprises from 20 countries. The goals are to: 1) Conduct a review of academic training standards in Europe; 2) Produce multimedia training resources; 3) Promote best practices through workshops. Key activities will include innovation clusters on special topics led by coordinators, and supporting future NICE conferences. The proposal aims to strengthen collaboration between practitioners and academics to improve career services and training.

1. NICE Knowledge Alliance
Proposal for 2015
Dr Hazel Reid
6th NICE Conference in Bratislava – May 29, 2015

2. 1. Purpose and Main Goals 2
In February 2015, a group of colleagues from NICE submitted a proposal to the
European Commission to fund a “NICE Knowledge Alliance for Innovation in
the Academic Training of the Career Guidance & Counselling (CGC) Workforce in
Europe” (NICE-KA).
Objectives of the Application:
 Support sustainability of NICE and its achievements and keep the network
going through large events and online-collaboration
 Involve practitioners and guidance organisations in research and
development to quality-assure academic training of career professionals
 Conduct a systematic review of academic training in CGC across Europe
(“European Competence Standards Benchmark”)
 Produce multimedia resource kits for academic training in CGC
 Promote good practices in CGC and the training of career professionals
through train-the-trainer workshops

3. 2. Partnership 3
36 Full Partners from 20
European Countries
• 20 higher education
institutions (HEI) with
academic training and/or
research programmes on career
guidance and counselling (CGC)
• 16 enterprises offering career
services of all sorts, including
public, profit and non-profit
organisations
60 Associated Partners
• Further HEI with degree
programmes in CGC
• Further enterprises offering
career services
• International scientific
associations focussing on CGC
• Professionals associations and
certifying bodies
• National guidance forums

4. 3. Benefits of Involving a Large Diversity of Enterprises 4
A central goal of the project will be to conduct in-depth case studies of the challenges,
which specific career services face in practice, including a validation of the European
Competence Standards relevance for practice. For the development and identification
of innovative, competence-based training and assessment methods, we believe that
we will strongly benefit from practitioners’ experience in practice.

5. 4. Organisation & Management 5
Five self-managed
Innovation Clusters
working on central
themes for innovation
in career guidance and
counselling: for the
intensive cooperation
of practitioners and
academics
People with Special Roles
and Tasks in each cluster, to
foster common quality
standards and comparability
of the cluster outcomes
A Central Team to
coordinate the overall
project, in cooperation with
the Cluster Coordinators, to
reach the challenging goals
and integrate the results
Quality
Commissioners to
evaluate all products
through peer-reviews
and advise the
coordinators in
strategic questions

6. 5. Trans-Disciplinary Cooperation in Clusters 6

7. 6. Contributions to the Sustainability of NICE 7
Through the Funding of the NICE Knowledge Alliance we would…
 Co-Finance 2 NICE Conferences, including some funds for the involvement
of representatives from organisations not involved in the project. They
would be hosted by:
 Saxion University of Applied Sciences in 2016 (Netherlands)
 University of Padova in 2018 (Italy)
 Promote the goals of NICE as defined in the NICE Memorandum,
particularly the implementation and validation of the European
Competence Standards
 Collect and develop open-access resources and materials for academic
training in career guidance and counselling, involving all NICE Members
 Support the maintenance of the NICE Website and the NICE Newsletter,
particularly to disseminate good practices and news around Europe

8. 7. Coordination 8
Knowledge Alliance Coordination Team
 Dr Hazel Reid, Canterbury Christ Church University (UK)
 Johannes Katsarov (Germany)
 Dr Peter Weber, Heidelberg University (Germany)
Innovation Cluster Coordinators
 Guidance for Youth Employment: Prof Valérie Cohen-Scali, Conservatoire National
des Arts et Métiers (France)
 Career Services in Enterprises: Prof Nicolas Schöpf, University of Applied Labour
Sciences (Germany)
 Guidance for Inclusion of Marginalized Groups: Prof Laura Nota, University of
Padova (Italy)
 Transitions of Adults: Prof Pia Cort, Aarhus University (Denmark)
 Setting Up Career Services: Sasa Niklanovic, National Association of Career
Counsellors (Slovenia)
Decisions of strategic importance for NICE would be made in close
cooperation with the NICE Steering Committee

9. Dr Hazel Reid
hazel.reid@canterbury.ac.uk
www.nice-network.eu
Thank you very much
for your attention!