Strategy EU 2020 and ET 2020 goals on the one hand, and increasing level of youth unemployment in Slovenia on the other, challenge Slovenia to exploit all the available resources at an EU and national level to ensure the successful transition of youths from the education system to the labour market, and to combat youth unemployment in an effective, efficient and sustainable way.

The “Creative Awareness Raising and Empowerment for Employability and Resiliency” (CAREER) project was set up to join together the leading research institutions and public authorities in the education policy field which, together with all other relevant stakeholders, are rethinking existing, and developing and disseminating new, tools for empowering young people for successful entrance into the labour market whilst maintaining their sustainable employability. Research suggests that early career orientation within schools, as well as students’ resilience, have a positive effect on young people’s lifelong employability chances.

Within the framework, and during the different stages, of the project, guidelines for successful career orientation within schools and strengthening of students’ resilience were prepared on the basis of theoretical backgrounds, EU guidelines and good practice, and with respect to the particularities of the Slovenian context. The first proposals were tested and agreed by a wide range of different stakeholders involved in the project activities in order to ensure policy relevancy and practically feasible final guidelines. Additionally, a wide variety of dissemination activities were carried out to raise media and general public attention to the given problem.

The expected short term goal of the project is therefore publication of comprehensive guidelines for career orientation and strengthening of students’ resilience within schools. The long term impact of the project is seen in the improvement of career management skills of students, which enhance their opportunities on the labour market on the basis of the improved and high quality educational practices, coherent policy strategy and general public awareness about the problem.