Education guides as signposts in low-threshold educational counselling

In today’s information and knowledge society, educational guidance is considered an integral part of lifelong learning. It is expected to contribute to improving participation and integration. The aim is to advise people at different stages of their lives on possible and meaningful educational pathways and opportunities. In order to make educational counselling formats accessible to everyone, concepts are needed that include opportunities for ’low-threshold’ educational counselling so that even so-called educationally disadvantaged clients can take advantage of them. In some municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia, ’education guides’ act as a bridge to reach certain target groups. This is because educational guidance that seeks to reach its clientele exclusively from behind a desk often fails in its efforts. The effectiveness of educational guidance concepts depends on their ability to adapt to the heterogeneity of their target groups and to take on a role as a guide for politics and society.