Regional Event in Pirot: Strengthening Sustainable Career Guidance and Counselling Services

Pirot, 24 November 2025 — The Education to Employment (E2E) project and the City of Pirot successfully organized a regional event titled “Sustainable Career Guidance Services: Experiences and Impact of Job Info Centers,” bringing together representatives of national institutions, local governments, educational institutions, Job Info Centers and international partners.

The event was opened by Oliver Streit, E2E Project Director, and Katrin Ochsenbein, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Swiss Cooperation Office (SDC), who highlighted that the development of modern career guidance and counselling (CGC) services is essential for strengthening local communities and supporting informed decision-making in education and career development.

Participants had the opportunity to see short video presentations showcasing digital and VR tools for career guidance and counselling, as well as a presentation on the economic effects of CGC services.

A central element of the event was a panel discussion on the sustainability of CGC services, featuring representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, the City of Pirot, Job Info Center Pirot and the Technical School Pirot. The discussion focused on potential institutional and financial models of support and the importance of local ownership of CGC services.

The event reaffirmed that local partnerships, networking and joint planning are key to the long-term sustainability of CGC services. The Job Info Center network was recognized as a successful model that can contribute to improving youth employability and developing the skills required by the modern labour market.