Shaping the Future of Career Guidance: Insights from the Lifelong Guidance 5.0 Conference in Vienna

25/03/2026

On 23–24 March 2026, the Erasmus+ project “Lifelong Guidance 5.0: Upscaling Guidance Services in Europe” hosted its conference “Lifelong Changes: Transformations in Career Guidance and Counselling” at VHS Wiener Urania in Vienna, organised by the partner VHS Vienna. The event brought together project partners, guidance counsellors, and policymakers from across Europe to exchange views on how career guidance can evolve in response to fast-changing labour markets and digitalisation. EARLALL took part as a dissemination partner, contributing a regional and local perspective and reaffirming its commitment to more inclusive, future-oriented guidance systems.

The conference opened with a welcome from Daniela Ecker-Stepp, Director of VHS Wiener Urania, who highlighted Vienna’s strong commitment to quality education and lifelong learning. In the opening keynote, Marko Miloradović, CEO of the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund, explored some of the major challenges facing our societies today. He emphasised the key role of lifelong learning in responding to demographic changes and in supporting those who are most distant from the labour market.

He also pointed to the fast pace of technological change—especially the growing impact of artificial intelligence—and how this is raising concerns about the future of work. While acknowledging these worries, he encouraged a forward-looking approach, stressing the need to protect social systems and ensure that change benefits everyone. Overall, he underlined the importance of coming together, as in this conference, to better understand these challenges and develop inclusive solutions for the future.

Following this, Andrea Bernert-Bürkle from the Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg presented the “Lifelong Guidance 5.0: Upscaling Guidance Services in Europe” project and its ambition to strengthen guidance services across Europe. She explained that the project focuses on enhancing counsellors’ skills in areas such as digital tools, innovative guidance methods, and labour market intelligence, helping them better support individuals in navigating education and career pathways in a rapidly changing world.

Bernert-Bürkle also highlighted upcoming activities, including training sessions in Brussels on knowledge management and the use of AI in career guidance, which will take place on 10–11 June 2026, alongside the EARLALL 25th Anniversary celebration.

Building on this overview, Dr. Britta Matthes from the Institute for Employment Research in Germany delivered a keynote on the transformation of professional fields through digitalisation. She explained that technological change is reshaping the division of labour, creating new job profiles, and increasing productivity. “Professions rarely disappear; they change,” she emphasised, noting that seven out of thirteen core activities in career guidance are currently automatable. Matthes also highlighted the growing role of digital tools in career orientation, including conversational AI agents and online counselling platforms.

A panel discussion followed, bringing together policymakers and experts on social and labour market transformations. Discussions focused on the implications for counselling services and advisory institutions, and the challenges facing vulnerable groups. Key points included the stress and uncertainty counsellors face regarding AI, strategies to identify and reach vulnerable populations, supporting women returning to the labour market, the role of apprenticeships for youth, and the importance of language development in promoting social and labour market inclusion.

The second day focused on interactive sessions. Johan Bürger Hyllienmark, CEO of IUC Jämtland Härjedalen and a partner in the Lifelong Guidance 5.0 project, presented practical approaches to identifying and addressing skills gaps in the manufacturing sector. He highlighted the key role of regional and local ecosystems in supporting industrial development.

A central example was the Swedish Industrial Validation method, which promotes lifelong learning, trust, and mutual respect—helping to overcome challenges such as language barriers. As he noted, “the Swedish management model is based on getting the whole crew together on the same task,” underlining the importance of collaboration in building effective and inclusive validation processes.

Kristín Erla Thráinsdóttir, career and guidance counsellor at Mímir, presented competence assessment practices from adult education and lifelong learning centres. She illustrated how competence checks can be integrated into workplace guidance to support employee development and lifelong learning. By adopting an individual-centred approach, these practices make skills more visible, boost participants’ confidence, and generate positive outcomes, while also fostering stronger cooperation between stakeholders.

Counselling in Uncertain Time: Training days

Following the conference, participants engaged in two days of specialised training. On 25 March, Prof. Dr. Peter Weber, Chair of Counselling Sciences at the University of Applied Labour Studies, explored how to use knowledge management for decision-making in career counselling. Participants examined different types of knowledge, advanced methods, and digital tools to structure and manage information. By the end of the session, participants were able to identify strategies to update their expertise, manage practice-relevant knowledge, and build networks for information sharing.

The final training day focused on artificial intelligence in education and career guidance. Led by Stefan Kühne, founder and editor of e-beratungsjournal.net and lecturer at universities in Germany and Austria, participants explored the opportunities and risks of AI, learning how it can enhance guidance processes while complementing the human role. Practical topics included integrating AI tools into counselling and responding to clients increasingly using AI chatbots for career and education queries.

In a well-rounded conference combining expert insights, practical sessions, and innovative methods, Lifelong Guidance 5.0 highlighted the critical role of guidance in navigating digitalisation, demographic change, and labour market transformation. With interactive trainings and international outreach, the event created an exchange of expertise and knowledge from across Europe.

EARLALL’s participation underscored its commitment to strengthening the Lifelong Guidance 5.0 project, equipping educational and career counsellors with the skills, tools, and approaches needed to provide inclusive, future-ready guidance for all individuals, particularly those from vulnerable groups.