Workshops

Science for Girls’ Empowerment | Natalia Budinski, Serbia

The workshop “Science for Girls’ Empowerment” is designed to promote the role of women in science through interactive activities that engage students in exploring the lives and achievements of renowned female scientists.  The goal of the workshop is to challenge and shatter students’ stereotypes about the role of women in science and society in general.  Participants will be encouraged to think critically about the contributions of various women in science, challenge stereotypes, and creatively interpret the lives of famous female scientists.  During the workshop, we will address many important topics such as stereotypes about women in general, and women in science in particular. We will raise awareness of the contributions of women in science and improve their understanding of the challenges and discrimination faced by women in STEM fields. This workshop celebrates the achievements of women in science and challenges participants to reconsider their perceptions of gender roles in STEM fields. Through storytelling, discussion, and reflection, participants will develop a deeper appreciation for the impact of women in science and a commitment to fostering inclusivity.

Natalija Budinski is a mathematics teacher working in primary and secondary education. In addition to that, she established an organization that works on promoting education in rural areas and to vulnerable groups, where she led numerous projects dedicated to empowering girls and young women to pursue their future careers in STEM. Her projects have been recognised and awarded by the National Euroguidance Centre. Natalija’s field of her interest also includes digital literacy and safety, media literacy, and the ethical use of AI. She has received many educational awards and scholarship, including recognition as one of the 300 the most innovative Microsoft teachers in the world and The Best Digital Change Maker by All Digital initiative, as well as Fulbright scholarship and Nobel Prize Teacher summit scholarship. She published about forty papers in international educational journals.

Career Orientation and Innovation: We Accompany You from Kindergarten to University | Zsanett Imre, Hungary

Our organization undertakes career orientation tasks beyond its legal obligations. I will present this complex career counselling system. Among its subsystems, we provide a support toolkit for parents, teachers, and students. This includes an educational website where users can find the methodological foundations of career maturity and career planning. The website’s title reflects our goal: “Career Orientation for Everyone – We Accompany You from Kindergarten to University.” We operate a dedicated website to coordinate the activities of organizations involved in career orientation. Students’ career decision-making is supported through individual counselling and our custom-developed software package. We have developed numerous games, as we consider them an essential tool for enhancing the effectiveness of group counselling sessions. For teachers and partner organizations we publish materials that present the scientific and methodological background of a human-centred approach to career orientation, making these resources available on our websites. To introduce students to hands-on professions, we provide continuous creative activities in a dedicated building for elementary school students – the Digital Community Makerspace. For adults, we complement these activities with career planning counselling. We consider collaboration with both national and international career education organizations to be of great importance.

Zsanett Imre is a dedicated education professional with a background in teaching and school administration. She began her career as an ESL teacher, focusing on communication and student engagement. Since 2020, Zsanett has been teaching in a Vocational Education and Training (VET) school, where she has gained valuable experience in supporting students as they prepare for careers in various industries. In 2024, she was appointed Deputy Principal, a role in which she leads academic initiatives and supports institutional development. Her responsibilities also include event organization and career orientation, where she helps students explore and pursue their career pathways. With her combined experience in teaching, leadership, and career guidance, Zsanett continues to make a significant impact on the educational and professional success of her students.

Connecting to a Career | Nataša Jankulovski and Svetlana Petrović, Serbia

In the first part of the workshop, we will present the activities implemented in our secondary vocational school with students, emphasizing the connection and collaboration between the school and institutions, linking students with the labour market, and breaking stereotypes about gender-segregated occupations and prejudices regarding opportunities for a quality professional role. We will showcase three examples of good practice: Connecting to a career (panel discussion with experts); breaking down the stereotypes and prejudices about traditionally female/male professions and self-entrepreneurship. In the second part of the workshop, participants will engage in an interactive activity designed for adults, which builds on their previously acquired non-formal and informal education and experiences. The focus will be on boosting self-confidence and recognizing personal qualifications and skills for integration into the world of work. We will highlight the importance of mental hygiene through a brief relaxation technique and present some useful materials relevant to career guidance and counselling.

Natasa Jankuloski works as a teacher of economics and tourism subjects at the secondary VET school in Knjaževac as well as a coordinator of the school’s guidance team and project team. She is the author of numerous articles published in professional journals and one of the co-authors of a teachers’ handbook on career guidance and counselling. She has successfully led 3 online seminars for teachers and participated in conferences and workshops – and is an active guidance practitioner, recognized through several awards. Svetlana Petrović is a professional associate – pedagogue, with experience in primary, secondary vocational, and music schools. She is a specialist in mediation, a trainer in communication skills and relaxation techniques. For the past 13 years, she has been engaged in career guidance and counselling. Author and facilitator of accredited seminars for education professionals, including training sessions at the National Academy for Public Administration. More information about her professional work, https://www.linkedin.com/in/svetlana-petrovic/

Career Guidance Curriculum for Secondary School Students | Gergely Kiss, Hungary

During the workshop, participants will be introduced to the structure of the English-language career guidance curricula that the MAP Foundation created for secondary school students. Participants will work through the self-reflection questionnaire to see how content-related questions can be used for the students’ self-awareness. Participants will also learn about the applicability of the career guidance tool kit developed by the Foundation, i.e. how it can be integrated into the preparation of a career guidance school day and its daily programme, or into any related lessons or even into a school project week, e.g. sustainability week, finance week.

Gergely Kiss is a career guidance counsellor, professional manager of the MAP Foundation and a qualified human resources counsellor. His focus is on supporting secondary school students in their career choices as a counsellor and trainer. He also supports students in vocational education in group sessions to develop their skills and career choices in the labour market. Under his guidance, MAP Foundation developed a career guidance programme for secondary schools, and curricula on sustainability and environmental careers. Both projects won the Hungarian Euroguidance Career Guidance Award, in 2022 and in 2024 respectively.

Creating Opportunities with German Education System – Knowledge That Makes a Difference | Mara Kuhn, Germany

How can we open up new career prospects for young people? What opportunities does the German VET system offer to attract skilled workers for tomorrow? The key to a successful professional future lies not only in a university degree, but also in Germany’s diverse and varied training system. Through industry partnerships and employer engagement, this system provides young people with excellent entry prospects and opportunities on the global labour market. Regardless of their level of education, the German system offers every school leaver career prospects. This workshop will give you an overview of the opportunities available in Germany and how the network partners from industry, schools/universities and the Federal Employment Agency cooperate.

Trained as an office communications clerk, Mara Kuhn studied at the Federal Employment Agency’s University of Applied Sciences in the field of employment-oriented counselling and case management. She joined the Federal Employment Agency in 2015, and has worked as a guidance counsellor for young people aged 15 to 25. She also served as project employee at the headquarters of the Federal Employment Agency in the area of media conception. She is a multiple-time Academia participant and an active volunteer in the field of sports.

Soft Skills Development Using Gaming Method | Solveiga Keistere, Latvia

Using games in education helps develop a wide range of skills and qualities: knowledge (facts); cognitive skills (understanding, problem solving); social skills (cooperation, competition, leadership); attitudes (empathy, following rules, taking risks); physical mobility (coordination, flexibility, strength); practical application of knowledge (competence-based approach); self-awareness (talents, abilities, skills, competences, weaknesses). Every day we make choices that shape our future, and even the smallest decisions can have a big impact on our path. During the workshop, participants will see and experience the game “Chosen Choice”, which develops soft skills and young people understand how their interests and values influence decision-making and career choices. The game is intended for professionals working in career education – career counsellors, including educators, youth workers, psychologists, special educators, mentors and others.

Solveiga Keistere, the author of the game, has been working in the vocational education system for more than 15 years. For the past 5 years, she has been managing the career education centre at the largest vocational education school in Latvia. She holds a master’s degree in career education.

Personalized Support for NEETs: Best Practices & Insights | Mateja Pačnik Kolenc, Slovenia

The workshop will provide insights into good practices related to NEETs, focusing on personalized support approaches collected in the @Work4NEETs project, an international initiative involving seven partner countries. The workshop will emphasize the importance of a holistic approach that addresses multiple aspects of an individual’s life. It will also highlight the significance of strong networks and effective cooperation between institutions to provide more coordinated support. Participants will gain practical insights and tools to enhance their career counselling services by sharing best practices, analysing different cases, and brainstorming new ideas on supporting individuals on pathways to employment or continuing education.

Mateja Pačnik Kolenc holds a Master’s Degree in cultural studies and currently works as a project manager of the Interreg@Work4NEETs project at the Employment Service of Slovenia. She has rich experience in career counselling for long-term unemployed and youth work, where she volunteered for many years.

Linking Young People to the Labour Market: Collaborative Approaches in Career Development and Guidance | Isabel Quirino, Portugal

Career development and guidance play a key role in preparing young people to enter the labour market. This workshop proposes a collaborative approach involving guidance counsellors, teachers and other strategic partners to strengthen interventions in the vocational development of VET students. The workshop aims to provide a clearer vision of the benefits and challenges of collaborative approaches to career development, aiming to identify ways in which these practices can be enhanced in educational contexts. Starting with an analysis of the characteristics of VET, the workshop will examine how different educational actors (particularly guidance counsellors and teachers) can collaborate and intervene to develop integrated and effective strategies to facilitate students’ transition into the labour market. The presentation will focus on the importance of liaison between different actors, highlighting the essential role of teachers in vocational intervention and ways to seamlessly integrate guidance practices into their pedagogical work. It will also address the relevance of external partnerships in creating development and guidance opportunities that align with the demands of the labour market.

Isabel Quirino is a psychologist specialized in Educational Psychology (1990) and holding a Master’s Degree in Vocational Development (2010), both from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Since 1990 she has been working in secondary schools with general and IVET courses, mostly doing career guidance.  She is currently based at a secondary school at Portimão, Portugal. Throughout her career she has been involved in vocational training activities for youth and adults, working in diverse contexts with special populations, i.e. the unemployed, individuals with special needs and low-income youth and adults. She has extensive experience in professional development training activities of teachers. In recent years she has implemented several projects for IVET students within the school context, using cross-sectoral approaches and experiential methodologies. Most of these projects were promoted with strong involvement of educational teams – teachers and educational staff – as well as from community partners, including representatives from municipalities, companies and youth organizations. Most recently she coordinated two Erasmus+ projects in the VET sector, aimed at promoting school capacity to use curriculum flexibility in IVET as a means to enhance the potential of all IVET students and, simultaneously, to match the skills needed at local and regional level.

Talent to Expert: How Partnerships & Next-Gen Jobs Transform Career Guidance | Lisa Fasching, Austria

Are you curious about how Austria is shaping the future of career guidance for young people? Do you want to explore creative ways to engage students and ignite their passion for apprenticeship programs? Then this workshop is for you! You’ll gain a comprehensive overview of various initiatives designed to inspire young people to embrace the apprenticeship model as a pathway to success. But it’s not just about explaining the concept – we will explore the challenges that come with it from both a didactic and an economic perspective. As a participant, you’ll also discover the surprising connection between different stakeholders and the role of the “climate gardener” in shaping the future of work.

My professional journey in education policy began during my academic studies in (international) law. This interest grew as I worked as a seminar trainer and ambassador for career orientation, supporting young people in their career decisions in collaboration with industrial companies. I now focus on education, labour policy, and international relations, working at the intersection of law, economics, and education. I manage projects, contribute to policy development, and collaborate with regional and national stakeholders. As a member of various advisory committees, I actively shape education and career orientation strategies, fostering innovative, interdisciplinary approaches that connect education with the requirements of the economy.

Future-Ready Career Counseling: Interactive Tools for Vocational School Advisors | Marlena Pujsza-Kunikowska, Poland

Future-Ready Career Counselling: Interactive Tools for Vocational School Advisors Unlock new ways to inspire and guide students in their career paths! This hands-on Word Café workshop introduces vocational school counsellors to engaging, interactive tools and games that foster entrepreneurial thinking and career development. 

What’s in it for the participants?
– experience innovative career & business simulation games, 
– collaborate in dynamic, rotating small-group discussions.

Take away practical tools ready for immediate implementation. Immerse yourself in a gamified learning experience that makes career counselling more effective, interactive, and future-focused!

Marlena Pujsza-Kunikowska is a career advisor, educator and the recipient of the 2020 Eduinspirator award in the youth sector (national level). She has experience in vocational counselling, youth empowerment and non-formal education. She specializes in career guidance, mobility programs, and developing innovative educational tools to support young people’s professional growth and skills development.

It’s Better for Two or How to Start Career Counselling at School | Zuzana Adamová and Miroslava Smutná, Czech Republic

The aim of the workshop is to inspire teachers and career counsellors in schools on how to effectively implement career counselling in the daily running of an educational institution. The workshop will focus on practical strategies to systematically integrate career guidance into the life of the school, to communicate effectively among all stakeholders and to build a supportive network of colleagues to help you implement career guidance so that you are not alone in this important task.

Zuzana Adamová & Miroslava Smutná are teachers, career guidance coordinators and members of the school guidance centre team. Both have been awarded with the National Career Guidance Award in 2024.

How Can We Encourage Girls and Women into STEM? | Zuzana Sotáková, Slovakia

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) drives innovation, shapes industries, and solves global challenges. Yet, women remain significantly underrepresented, missing out on dynamic career opportunities while the sector loses out on diverse talent and fresh perspectives. Encouraging more girls into STEM isn’t just about equality—it’s about unlocking their potential, fostering creativity, and ensuring a more inclusive technological future. So how do we actually achieve this? What strategies work? And how can career advisors play a key role in this shift? Early exposure, role models, and tailored support make a huge difference, but changing mindsets and breaking down stereotypes require consistent effort. In this session, I’ll share our best practices and effective strategies that have worked in our programs, offering inspiration and insights that you can adapt to your own work. We’ll also share our findings and survey results, exploring what truly helps young women see STEM as a viable and exciting path—and how you, as career advisors, can guide them towards these high-potential fields. Join us to discover how, together, we can open doors to a future where more women thrive in STEM.

Zuzana Sotáková is the co-founder and director of Ženský algoritmus (Female Algorithm), a Slovak NGO dedicated to breaking down barriers for women in STEM. For the past five years, the organization has focused on unlocking the career potential of women and girls in technology and management in Slovakia. Through interactive programs, digital skills training, career counselling, role model presentations, and real-world projects, they help participants gain skills, build confidence, and create supportive networks. These initiatives complement each other, recognizing that choosing a career in STEM is a long journey. Zuzana and her ICT-experienced team help women and girls discover STEM careers and studies, even when they hadn’t considered them before, with many success stories of participants transitioning into or pursuing STEM fields.

Beyond the Track: Why Vocational Students Still Need Career Guidance | Kornelija Mrnjaus, Croatia

Helmut Zelloth (2014) believes that the main reason why students in vocational education receive significantly less career guidance than students in general education schools is the assumption that career guidance is less necessary. This assumption stems from the belief that  vocational students have already made a career choice or have limited choices, as they are ‘streamed’ into vocational education due to poorer academic performance. In this workshop we will discuss the possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of career guidance for vocational school students. In addition, the results of the studies on career guidance for vocational school students in Croatia will be presented.

Kornelija Mrnjaus is a full professor at the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Education. She teaches a class on career guidance as part of the University Degree Programme in Pedagogy. She has conducted several research studies and published scientific papers on career guidance.

Gender Stereotypes and Career Choices: Why Interests Don’t Tell the Whole Story | Mirta Blažev, Croatia

Why do girls and boys still gravitate toward traditionally feminine or masculine careers, even when their abilities and achievements are similar? This interactive workshop explores how gender stereotypes continue to shape adolescents’ educational and career choices, with a focus on how early socialization, sociocultural expectations, and implicit beliefs influence students’ interests and perceived career possibilities. The workshop will provide participants with tools to critically examine how gender roles are maintained in education and society—and how we can actively challenge them. Through a combination of presentation, discussion, and practical group activities, participants will:

  • Reflect on how gender roles are communicated—both subtly and overtly—in schools, families, and society;
  • Understand how these roles shape young people’s self-perceptions, interests, and perceived career options;
  • Explore why girls are increasingly entering male-dominated fields, while boys remain reluctant to consider female-typed professions;
  • Recognize the broader consequences of gendered career choices, including their impact on students’ mental health, especially among marginalized youth;
  • Learn evidence-based strategies to support students in developing authentic, non-stereotypical career aspirations.

Dr. Mirta Blažev is a psychologist and research associate at the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar in Zagreb, Croatia, as well as an integrative psychotherapist. Her research focuses on gender differences, gender stereotypes, gender roles, and the sociocultural influences that shape student development and aspirations. She examines how these factors impact educational and career outcomes, as well as the mental health of young people.

Bridging Education and Employment Personal Branding & Effective Career Mentoring for IT Students | Natalia Kłubko, Poland

 

Are you guiding IT students who wondering how to stand out in a crowded job market? In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore practical tools and strategies to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world employment, with a special focus on:

  • Mentoring techniques – Learn how to use structured mentoring tools and conversations to support students in identifying their strengths, setting career goals, and navigating the rapidly changing tech job market.
  • Career planning – Discover how to create personalized development plans that help students define their career paths and prepare for roles that match their interests and skills.
  • Personal branding for IT professionals – Get actionable insights on how to build an authentic and professional presence on platforms like LinkedIn. We’ll discuss what makes a strong IT profile, how to showcase projects, and how to present skills on the job market.

Natalia Kłubko is an experienced specialist in social communication, media, and human resource management. As a doctoral student, she combines business and academic experience, leveraging interdisciplinary knowledge and advanced AI tools to support individuals in their personal and professional development. She has extensive experience in HR recruitment, gained in international companies in Poland and the United Arab Emirates. Since 2016, she has successfully advised clients on building a strong and authentic personal brand on social media and developing effective career growth strategies. As an Ambassador for Europass and Euroguidance at the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, she actively promotes lifelong learning and mobility.

Promoting VET through stakeholders’ cooperation | Mirela Franović and Zoran Varga, Croatia

Cooperation between different stakeholders in VET plays an important role in the quality of VET. Efficient cooperation brings added value to promotional activities among young people choosing their education pathway.
This workshop will present the activities implemented within the Erasmus+ project Joint mentorship: Better Cooperation for Better VET with the examples of good cooperation practice between schools and companies, incl. promotional activities and mentoring.
In the second part of the workshop, participants will engage in an interactive activity using their own experiences in cooperation between different stakeholders with the focus on promotional activities and good practice examples. The focus will be on sharing their practical experiences and developing ideas for more intense cooperation relevant to the promotion of VET.

Mirela Franović is an advisor for education at the Department for Education of Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts. She has an extensive experience in VET for trade and craft professions where cooperation between different stakeholders is a key prerequisite for better alignment of VET to labour market needs. Promoting trade and craft professions and their career opportunities among youth, in cooperation with other VET stakeholders, is one of the important activities she has been working on in the Chamber. With her first master’s degree in foreign languages, she has recently completed a Master of Science program Vocational Education and Innovation at the Technical University of Munich. She is also a member of the CEDEFOP community of apprenticeship experts.

Zoran Varga is an advisor for education at the Department for Education of Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts. He has 9 years in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) and crafts sector, with the main objective to improve the VET quality and partnership cooperation. His main interest include policy lobbying, project implementation and a steadfast commitment to promoting the value of apprenticeship and VET. Also, he has a keen interest in digital and green policies, especially in crafts sector, and is dedicated to facilitate strong labour market partnerships to foster high-quality apprenticeships in the work-based environments of the future.

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