What do we expect from career guidance in schools? A comparison of the intended results in national and school policy

There is an increasing mandate for schools in many Western societies to provide career guidance. Yet the implementation process of career guidance has not been a smooth one. Using the Dutch VET sector as an exemplary case, the current study aims to understand the implementation gap by examining views concerning the intended results of career guidance. A multiple case study, including the viewpoints of actors at different levels of policy making varying from the EU level to school leaders, disclosed differences in the degree to which the goals and features of career guidance were articulated and how it was defined. Because successful implementation of educational policies largely depends on congruency in how policy is perceived and interpreted, the paper ends with practical recommendations for aligning the various viewpoints.