- Thirteen career guidance professionals took part in a pilot workshop to assess the relevance and usefulness of the materials developed for Orient2Work, a European initiative led by the Provincial Federation to improve the labour market inclusion of women in vulnerable situations. The session provided an opportunity to test a methodology focused on empowerment and lifelong learning, while also serving as a space for reflection on the structural challenges of the sector.
The Provincial Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of Seville, COCEMFE Seville, held a key pilot workshop for the European project Orient2work — a session that brought together 13 professional guidance counsellors with the aim of discussing, evaluating, and validating the materials developed to support their daily work in accompanying women in vulnerable situations.
This session marks the culmination of a rigorous collaborative process that has taken place over the past year. Orient2work is a Europe-wide initiative involving organisations from Spain, Turkey, Italy, and France. It was created to design a more inclusive career guidance methodology tailored to the specific needs of women facing particular challenges when entering the labour market.
As part of this process, several co-creation workshops were held in 2024, involving both professionals from the sector and key institutional representatives — including Mª Victoria Martín-Lomeña, current Secretary General of the Public Employment and Training Service, part of the Ministry of Employment, Business and Self-Employment of the Andalusian Government. As a result of this joint effort, a comprehensive guidance manual has been developed, combining a strong theoretical foundation — based on person-centred and empowerment-focused approaches — with a practical component offering flexible, ready-to-use tools.
An Innovative, Person-Centred Methodology
The Orient2work methodology is structured around four sequential phases: initial assessment, development of a personalised action plan, evaluation of transversal skills, and finally, preparation and interaction with the labour market.
During the workshop, professionals particularly highlighted Phase 3 — “Evaluation of transversal skills” — as a distinctive and highly valuable element. While competency assessment is not a new concept, Orient2work takes it to the next level by grounding it in the principle of lifelong learning.
This approach encourages each participant to become an active agent in her own learning process. Through specific tools, the user collaborates with the guidance counsellor to reflect on and share her progress and achievements. This development is recorded in a physical or digital document that helps visualise continuous growth, fostering motivation, self-awareness, and a growth mindset essential for tackling the job search process.
In short, the form developed for this phase comprehensively gathers the main aspects to be addressed throughout the personalised insertion pathway. It is designed to be completed gradually over successive interviews, allowing for a flexible and recursive approach.
Reflections on the Future of the Sector
In addition to validating the project’s tools, the session served as a valuable forum to share structural concerns affecting the career guidance sector. Key reflections included:
The need to promote peer learning by creating institutional spaces for sharing best practices.
The call for stronger, more coordinated, and better-adapted ongoing training, suited to the realities of multidisciplinary teams.
Concern over the job insecurity faced by guidance professionals, who often experience interruptions due to public procurement processes or administrative changes — a fragility that directly affects the quality and continuity of services provided to users.
The success of this pilot workshop consolidates the Orient2Work methodology as a proven and effective tool, ready to be implemented and to make a meaningful contribution to the social and labour inclusion of the women it aims to support.
From COCEMFE Seville, we remain committed to working in all areas and environments that promote the quality of life for people with disabilities living in Seville and its province.
