Career Counselling Protocols in Central-Eastern and Southern Europe.

This presentation provides a comparative analysis of career guidance competency standards in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, situated against the Finnish National Competency Framework to highlight differences in conceptual foundations and levels of professionalization across the region. It examines why national and international career guidance protocols—such as occupational standards, assessment frameworks, and system level guidelines—are essential for ensuring coherent service provision, quality assurance, and alignment with lifelong learning policies. Using a two stage qualitative methodology. Overall, the presentation underscores the need for harmonized, evidence-based competence protocols to strengthen the professionalization and cross-national comparability of career guidance services in Central and Eastern Europe.