Romania’s annual 2–3 day national conference uniting career counsellors, universities, employers and policymakers to share practices, strengthen standards, and produce recommendations for education and labour policy.
Objective:
The initiative aims to strengthen the national network of career counsellors by:
- improving professional standards and evidence-based practices;
- facilitating collaboration between universities, schools, employers and policy-makers;
- supporting the alignment of career counselling services with labour-market needs;
- generating policy recommendations and position papers to support the development of counselling services in Romania.
Target group:
- Career counsellors from university and pre-university centres;
- Educational leadership (rectors, deans, school inspectors);
- Policy-makers from the Ministry of Education and Labour;
- Employers and HR specialists;
- Students and youth organizations;
- Members of professional associations (ACROM, CCOC, CJRAE/CMBRAE);
- Wider public interested in guidance and employability services.
Duration and frequency:
- Annual event;
- 2–3 days, combining plenary sessions, workshops, panels and networking meetings;
- Format: On-site or hybrid (with livestream or online components).
Description:
The activity is a national conference dedicated to the exchange of good practices in career counselling in Romania. It brings together specialists from career centres, researchers, employers and governmental representatives.
How it looks:
- Opening plenary with institutional leaders and invited experts
- Thematic panels (e.g., “Career counselling and labour market trends”, “Policy and standards”, “Support services for students with special needs”)
- Parallel workshops focused on methods, tools and case studies
- Presentations of successful institutional projects
- Networking sessions and meetings between universities and employers
- Final position paper / recommendations
Main results (based on earlier events)
- Drafting of national position papers submitted to the Ministry of Education
- Strengthening collaborations between universities, CJRAE/CMBRAE (County Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance – CJRAE, and Bucharest Municipal Center for Educational Resources and Assistance – CMBRAE) and companies;
- Increasing visibility of career counselling;
- Improving service quality and sharing practical tools and resources;
- Contributing to regulatory developments (e.g., recommendations regarding OM 650/2014 and 4042/2014, Ministerial Order Regulating the Organization and Functioning of Career Counselling and Guidance Centres (CCOC)
Implementation steps:
1. Preparatory phase
- Needs analysis among counsellors and partner institutions (survey, interviews)
- Identification of main themes and challenges for the upcoming edition
- Establishing partnerships with universities or organizations willing to host
- Selecting keynote speakers and workshop facilitators
- Preparing the agenda, registration system and communication plan
- Budget planning and identifying funding sources (institutional, project-based, sponsors)
2. Implementation phase
- Logistics: venue, online platform, technical support, materials
- Registration and coordination with participants
- Delivery of plenary sessions, panels and workshops
- Collection of resources (presentation slides, case studies, good practice sheets)
- Live communication on social media and through partners
3. Post-event phase
- Participant feedback collection and quality evaluation
- Drafting a post-event report (statistics, conclusions)
- Formulating recommendations or a position paper for policy-makers
- Sharing materials, recordings and conclusions with stakeholders
- Planning follow-up workshops or working groups
Necessary conditions:
Material & premises
- Conference hall / university auditorium (200–400 seats depending on edition)
- 3–6 workshop rooms
- Projectors, screens, audio equipment
- High-quality internet connection for hybrid delivery
- Registration desk and signage
- Printed materials (agenda, badges) or digital equivalents
Budget components
- Venue and technical support (if not provided by host)
- Travel and accommodation for keynote speakers
- Catering for participants
- Printed/digital materials
- Administrative costs (registration platform, communication)
Human resources
- Project lead / coordinator – expertise in event organization and counselling systems
- Scientific committee – 4–6 experts selecting themes and speakers
- Logistics team – 3–5 staff members handling venue, registration, communication
- Volunteers (especially from university centers)
- Estimated working hours: 150–250 hours total depending on scale
Skills required
- Professional understanding of career counselling
- Event management
- Communication and stakeholder coordination
- Digital/hybrid event facilitation
Photos, videos, further resources:
UVT 2021 Conference recording (Example: “Viitorul consilierii în carieră”)
https://www.facebook.com/consiliere.uvt/videos/313129577328954
UVT 2022 Conference livestream:
More photos and resources available on ACROM’s official website and Facebook page: acrom.org.ro
Contact person:
Dr. Marian Crăciun,
President, Asociația Consilierilor Români
Email: contact(at)acrom.org.ro
marian.craciun(at)dcoc.unibuc.ro
Note: Similar events are organized in Czechia and Hungary