Benchmarks in Denmark

Thank you to Rie Thomsen for sending me an update on recent developments in careers education in Denmark. I thought that I would share it on this blog for everyone who is interested in careers education in schools and the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Rie has been involved in the development of a series of benchmarks for schools in Denmark, partly based on the Gatsby Benchmarks, the evidence produced by Gatsby and iCeGS after implementation, and findings from Danish research and evaluations of careers education and guidance in schools.

They are published in a textbook for an elective course which is taken by students who are training to be teachers. The book is freely available for everyone to download.
Here is a link to the book’s website: https://vpt.dk/karrierelaering-i-skolen

The Danish Benchmarks, themselves are described in an article, but in brief they look like this.

1. A visible and coherent annual plan for career learning activities and educational guidance
2. Career learning takes place at all grade levels
3. Career learning and educational guidance create curiosity and broaden students’ horizons
4. The school invites different workplaces and employees/self-employed people into the school
5. Students experience workplaces and gain experience with work
6. Students discover, experience and discuss education
7. Students get information and knowledge about education and the labor market
8. Students have access to professional educational and career guidance
9. Addresses diversity and personal needs for guidance in the student group

These Benchmarks are clearly closely related to the Gatsby Benchmarks, but there are a number of nice things about them that suggest some positive improvement on the original. I like the emphasis on all grade level, the importance of creativity and the explicit mention of self-employment.

The Municipality of Copenhagen has offered workshops on the benchmarks for 10 schools and five school leader networks. Rie has conducted these sessions, and reports great interest in the framework.

Rie has also been involved in another project which is entitled ‘Co-Guidance’. This nationwide participatory study with 12 schools and leaders, has also used the Benchmarks as a valuable tool for developing and managing CEG in schools. Participants have noted that they help school leaders to focus on both structure and culture in career education. As a result of the research circle process with school leaders and leaders of the municipal guidance centers Rie and the project participants have developed Five benchmarks for good management of CEG in schools.

You can see those here: https://vpt.dk/folkeskole/god-ledelse-af-karrierelaering-i-skolen-se-de-5-kendetegn

They are as follows

1. Establish forums for leadership collaboration on career learning and educational guidance in schools.
2. Formulate a purpose for career learning and educational guidance in schools
3. Create a framework for teachers and educational guidance counsellors to collaborate in everyday life
4. Develop an annual plan in collaboration with teachers and educational guidance counsellors
5. Organize joint inspiration and competence development on students’ insight into education, jobs and working life

These additional five benchmarks offer some very useful thinking on the systemic elements of implementing something like the Gatsby Benchmarks.

As ever there is much to learn from Denmark!