for young people the decisions they make about what and where to study both within and following periods of compulsory education have become both more important and more difficult to make the purpose of career guidance is to enable young people to make what are good education and career decisions for them now and in their future as well in the absence of reliable and trustworthy information and support which good career guidance should provide such decisions become more difficult with personal and social costs often displayed in skills mismatches and unsatisfactory employment prospects over recent years the significance of career guidance services has grown rapid economic and educational change has led to schooltowork transitions which are now longer and more complex