Talent checkups
The checkup of talents is a practice that has spread in Italy from the 2000s onwards, also thanks to the improvement of technologies to support individual assessment for educational and professional guidance. In the Italian context, various experiences have integrated the knowledge and psychological measurement tools of the so-called "talents" (personality characteristics, psychosocial resources, etc.), with a computerized infrastructure that allows talents to be matched to various options of educational and professional choice. The "Sorprendo" software is one of these tools and is entirely accessible to schools, companies and institutions interested in activating a process of integration between individual talents and orientation choices.
Background
In the Trentino context, various experiments were carried out on using the Sorprendo platform to support students' choices. It is currently one of the tools available to the Ad Personam Territorial Multifunctional Structure, supported by the Province of Trento, which offers free offers to all citizens a series of guidance services, including:
- information, dissemination and guidance on educational and training opportunities active in the provincial territory, in particular on those co-financed by the European Social Fund;
- guidance counselling to support the definition of personalized pathways and school and professional re-orientation processes;
- orientation, accompaniment and re-motivation for subjects in transition. In carrying out these activities, Ad Personam uses the Sorprendo software.
Goal
Sorprendo is a technology platform for guidance designed to help people make responsible decisions for their future. It comprises various tools for exploring one's interests, preferences, skills and a database with detailed records on over 450 career paths. Furthermore, it allows you to identify study and work objectives and build action plans to achieve them.
Description of the type of measure
Access to Sorprendo is possible through an individual account, and use is accompanied by personalized suggestions for use based on the use of the platform. In addition, the user can build their guidance dossier by exporting their reports of the activities carried out and the results achieved in a simple and understandable format for each age group.
The platform is divided into three areas: In the Career Paths area, there is a database with over 450 professions, which can also be navigated based on 29 sectors and 84 work areas. The articulation of the sectors and areas of work in Sorprendo follows the structure of the Atlas of Labor and Qualifications, adopted by Italy and promoted at the national level as a new reference frame within the National Directory of education and training qualifications and professional qualifications and the National Competency Certification System provided for by Legislative Decree no. 13 of 16 May 2013. The professions can also be navigated based on the Areas of activity that group the occupations based on common characteristics (e.g. Professions that concern the use of numbers, scientific professions, etc.). In this area, it is also possible to search for job offers thanks to integrating with the INDEED job board. In the Personal Profile area, the user can explore their interests, propensities, personal characteristics and abilities and identify the professional profiles compatible with these elements based on their qualifications. Can identify action plans to achieve the identified goals and create their curriculum vitae. In focus on area, you can access a series of in-depth resources to learn more about the training offer and the strategies for entering the world of work.
Implementation
The use of Sorprendo has been available for at least a decade within the Ad Personam Territorial Multifunctional Structure as support to educational and professional guidance services.
Evaluation
The use of Sorprendo, integrated with the support of the specialized staff of the Ad Personam Territorial Multifunctional Structure, made it possible to support educational and training institutions, and individual students and families, as well as young people outside the school and training system, in the three sectors previously described:
- information, dissemination and guidance on educational and training opportunities active in the provincial territory, in particular on those co-financed by the European Social Fund;
- guidance counselling to support the definition of personalized pathways and school and professional re-orientation processes;
- orientation, mentoring and re-motivation for subjects in transition.
Lessons learned: The possibility of using Sorprendo's usage data in different ways represents an extraordinary element of innovation because it allows the regional bodies that use it, such as the Ad Personam Territorial Multifunctional Structure, to evaluate in terms not only individual but also aggregated, the results achieved and the impact of these results on the new planning of training and orientation activities. For the local guidance system, this is an opportunity to map the aspirations and talents of its users based on various criteria and identify critical issues and strengths on which to build policies, programs and specific initiatives.