The potential role of career guidance and career education in combating early school leaving

Abstract

Early school leaving (ESL) can be costly for the individual, and for the society. Not just in economic terms, but also in terms of low self-esteem, and the risk of social exclusion. ESL can be viewed as an individual drop-out issue, or as an issue related to a range of push-out factors. The article has a focus on the potential role of career guidance, and in particular on the aspect of developing career management skills in combating ESL. No single initiative or policy will provide the end solution to ESL: early school leaving is a complex issue, a ‘wicked problem’. Three approaches are suggested: prevention which seeks to combat the causes of ESL; intervention which addresses emerging difficulties at an early stage, and seeks to prevent them from leading to ESL; and compensation which aims at offering guidance and opportunities for education and training for those who have interrupted their education.