Adopted by the Board of Directors of IAEVG in Paris, September 17th, 2001,
on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of IAEVG

Effective educational and vocational guidance and counselling can assist individuals to understand their talents and potential and enable them to plan the appropriate steps to develop essential skills that will lead to personal, educational, economic and social advancement for the individual, family, community and nation. Quality educational and vocational guidance, counselling and management is a regular and continuous process, it is not a single intervention. It accompanies and enhances life-long and life wide learning and helps individuals to avoid or shorten periods of unemployment. Educational and vocational guidance and counselling contributes to equality of opportunity. High quality educational and vocational counselling not only aids the personal development and career opportunities of every individual, but also contributes to wider social , economic and sustainable development as a whole.

The International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance declares the following features of guidance and counselling services to be essential in meeting personal, social and economic development needs and to encourage further sustainable development in a knowledge-based society.

• Each person - regardless of gender, education, race, religion, age or occupational status - should have free and easy access to educational and vocational guidance so that their individual capabilities and skills can be identified and developed to enable them to undertake adequate education, vocational training and employment, to adapt to changing individual and social life situations and to participate fully in the social and economic life of their community.
• Special target groups, e.g. persons with disabilities and social disadvantages, should be provided with career counselling that uses appropriate methods and counselling that take into account their particular needs and communication requirement.
• Educational and vocational guidance providers should meet recognised quality standards of counsellor training and service delivery.
• Educational and vocational guidance services provided must guarantee impartiality and confidentiality and should proceed with the voluntary and active participation of their clients.
• Everyone who needs and wants educational and vocational guidance and counselling should have access to it based on need and from a competent and professionally recognised counsellor, whose profession is founded on the respect for human dignity and for different ways of living within communities.
• All educational and vocational guidance counsellors should have specified competencies and participate in continuing professional development programmes to enhance their skills and keep their professional knowledge up-to-date.
• As the training and performance of counsellors has to be supervised, the effectiveness of guidance services should be monitored through regular evaluation and relevant research studies.
• All counsellors and agencies providing educational and vocational guidance and counselling should be committed to recognised quality standards and endorse and follow a code of ethics in accordance with the 1995 IAEVG Ethical Standards.

The International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance urges governments or other agencies responsible for promoting human resource development to ensure the establishment and maintenance of adequate educational and vocational guidance services in accordance with the above policies.