A National Guidance Forum aimed at improving career guidance, particularly for disadvantaged students, is to be established next month, the Minister for Education said yesterday.
Mr Dempsey was speaking at a conference organised by the National Centre for Guidance in Education.
The conference was also addressed Mr Richard Sweet, of the Organisation for Economic Co-ordination and Development's education and training division, who said a review of services here found them to be poorly co-ordinated with weak accountability mechanisms. Delivery methods were "old fashioned", and there were large gaps in the services.
"The effectiveness of national lifelong learning and active employability will be hampered unless these gaps are bridged," said Mr Sweet.
The National Guidance Forum had been among recommendations from the OECD in its review of career guidance services here.
It is being established in a joint initiative with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
