Short description: Project goal: to help children in final classes of compulsory education to make choice about future profession, according their interests and capabilities, and according to labour market needs. Primary target group: pupils and their parents, as well as EAM partners (MES, Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Welfare, Centre for Vocational Education, associations of employers, local communities, NGO, etc.). In the Project participated all EAM Employment Units, CIPS (Centre for Information and Career Guidance/EAM), primary and secondary schools and media. With aim to supply pupils and their parents with relevant information about possibilities to create future professional life, Project Team: prepared adequate printing materials aimed for distribution to pupils in primary schools; organised adequate presentations and lectures for school psychologists and pedagogues, and for pupils and their parents in all municipalities; organised literary competition with a theme “My future profession”; gathered data necessary for annual Informative Booklet about secondary schools and their programs, printed and distributed it in schools; organised “Fair of Secondary Schools” in Podgorica, participated in radio and TV programs. Media campaign started with press conference that announced this Project. From this conference were sent direct and clear messages about importance of this Project and invited all relevant partners to take active part. All media (printed, radio and TV) followed the Project on national and local levels. During this campaign were presented characteristics and attractiveness of particular occupations, possibilities to continue studies or to find employment, particularly for those “not attractive” occupations that represent shortage on the labour market. Campaign was designed according to interests and age of pupils, to make them understand the point of the Project and messages aimed for them.

  Achieved results: - risen awareness about importance to make right choice of secondary education, which will pave a path for future professional life; - satisfaction in future professional life; - enrolment policy planned according to labour market needs and the State development plans; - reduced difference between labour force supply and demand; - effective employment and reduced unemployment; - reduced shortages on the labour market and demands for foreign workers, etc.

Comment: Our society does not do enough in the area of career guidance. Consequences are numerous: differences between labour market supply and demand what leads to long-term unemployment on one side, and problems that employers have in doing business on another. In wider sense, this brings to slow economy development and lower GDP, and high social welfare consumption. From individual aspect this means: loss of self-confidence, loss of working capabilities, low motivation for work, inactivity, low participation in social life, etc. Most of employers are not willing to invest in their employees – they expect to get completely educated and experienced workers. Usually, pupils and their parents do not have enough information about employment possibilities and select education for occupations (“easy” ones) that do not enable effective employment. Great efforts have to be put in activating those inactive: to inform, motivate and train them. This means that the State invests in future workers twice: through regular education system and through training programs. This is waste of sources, both financial and human what represents great loss for our economy. So, we have to be rational and reduce those costs, create possibilities for future workers in order to make adequate choice that will enable them to get employment and provide for themselves and their families. In Montenegro, every year around 10,000 pupils start secondary education – great future working potential for our economy. On the other side, Montenegrin labour market experiences great shortages in number of workers and different occupations. Adequate selection of future occupation and well planned enrolment policy are the way to alleviate complex labour market issue.