Educational and career guidance: regulations, literature, and practices in the Italian context

The contribution theme is educational and career guidance, which should assume a permanent, transversal, experiential character, promoting the capacity to choose consciously and the personal empowerment, in a lifelong perspective. Key elements of the pedagogical literature will be highlighted, and the most significant European and Italian normative milestones will be reviewed, to lead to an analysis of the University of Padua (Italy) practices. By examining one proposal, the courses catalogue “Orientamento attivo nella transizione scuola-università”, a documentary analysis will be conducted. The content exploration will identify points of contact with regulations and key pedagogical constructs on guidance. The aim is to verify compliance with regulations and educational principles, to identify strengths and critical issues, and to assess the effectiveness of integrating political and pedagogical aspects to implement good practices. The strengths, critical points, and adherence to regulatory and educational proposals will be useful to improve practice. Compliance with policies and pedagogical constructs will demonstrate the importance of integrating and expanding guidelines with the input of experts in education. In general, the analysis will be valuable for future revisions, for sharing with other national and international Higher Education institutions, and, overall, for promoting the culture of educational and career guidance.