Educational and vocational guidance

General information

Throughout their lives people have to manage periods of change whether through choice or circumstance. These periods constitute in practical terms transitions from school to school, school to inactivity, school to employment, employment to unemployment, and unemployment to employment as well as employment to employment.

Transitions always lead to more or less difficult questions about the (new) direction your career is taking. When building a career, guidance serves as a tool to optimise training pathways and improve access to employment for young people, as well as facilitate the professional mobility of adults and career change during working life.

It is a case of letting individuals make their own choices while supporting them through each period of change. In order to do this they need to be equipped with the right tools, starting by defining the skills that they need to possess or acquire for each period of life, from youth to retirement.

Guidance Centre (Maison de l'orientation)

Educational and vocational guidance services under one roof

The Guidance Centre is a State administrative body that unites several public stakeholders working in educational and vocational guidance under one roof.

The offer of the Guidance Centre is intended to benefit all citizens seeking advice with regard to educational and vocational guidance in order to identify their abilities, skills and interests, and to make informed decisions regarding their choice of studies and training and with regard to their professional projects.

The Guidance Centre houses the following services:

• SCMO - Guidance Centre (Maison de l’orientation) Coordination Service
• CePAS - Centre for Psycho-Social and Educational Accompaniment (Centre psycho-social et accompagnement scolaires)
• SIA – School Integration and Welcome Service (Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires)
• MESR - Higher Education Information Service of the Ministry of Research and Higher Education
• ADEM-OP - Vocational Guidance Service of the National Employment Agency (Service d'orientation professionnelle de l'Agence pour le développement de l'emploi - Région Centre)
• SNJ - Regional office of the National Youth Service (Service national de la jeunesse)
• ATVA - Agency for the transition to independent living (Agence pour la transition vers une vie autonome)
• SFA - Department of Adult Education (Service de la Formation des adultes)
• EG – National Agency Euroguidance

In the Centre's "guidance" space, citizens can have an initial anonymous drop-in interview throughout the year (also during school holidays) from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and noon and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., except for the "Information higher studies" contact point which is open only in the afternoons between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The services of the Guidance Centre can also be approached directly to arrange an appointment for a guidance advice session throughout the year (also during school holidays) from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and noon and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.