The International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG) is a worldwide educational guidance and counseling professionals association representing individuals as well as national and regional associations concerned with educational and vocational guidance on all continents. It currently has over 20,000 individual and institutional members, including careers practitioners, consultants, and university professors and lecturers. The objectives of the organization are to promote and improve international communication between people and organizations active in educational and vocational guidance; to encourage the continuing professional development of ideas, practice, and research in the field of guidance and counseling; and to collect and disseminate information on the latest educational and vocational guidance practice, study, and research.
History and Governance
IAEVG was founded in 1951 in Paris. The original objectives of the organization, which are still relevant today, were to provide educational and careers guidance professionals with the opportunity to exchange views and experiences and to benefit from mutual exchanges and experiences and to create an international resource for information on guidance matters.
The IAEVG Board is elected by the membership and includes six executive members: the president, three vice presidents, a treasurer, and a secretary general. Electronic online elections are held every 4 years and are led by the secretary general. Any major policy changes are agreed at the organization’s general assembly, which is usually held every 4 years. Day-today management and services are handled by the IAEVG’s international administrative center in Ottawa, Canada.
Professional Services
IAEVG provides a number of professional services to its members and other interested parties: (a) a professional community and networking, which include worldwide conferences and networking meetings that are held annually and attended by members and nonmembers from all continents; (b) publications, including a regular newsletter, which is produced in four languages, and the International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, both of which are produced several times a year and are free to members; (c) international counselor competencies for vocational guidance practitioners, a new service that enables members to gain international accreditation and certification for their professional work; (d) IAEVG’s ethical standards support the quality of guidance delivery and services, as well as providing guidance on appropriate behavior toward clients.
Research is a key area of focus, and IAEVG has completed a number of pieces of work for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, including a study of “Vocational Guidance for Equal Access and Opportunity for Girls and Women in Technical and Vocational Education” and a joint publication produced with the International Association for Counseling, “New Roles and Challenges for Guidance, and Counseling.”
There is ongoing international cooperation between IAEVG on study projects with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Union, and the International Labour Office.
Reference:
- International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance: http://iaevg.net/