This paper shows some findings of a research project supported by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation (R+D National Program, 2010’ Call). The project is aimed to develop two guidance devices, a program and a virtual support resource; both of them to facilitate the career development of a specific group of pupils, the Vocational Training and Pre-Technical Education’ students. Here we present the outcomes of the first phase of the research, which was focused in assessment of needs on career guidance. Specifically, we deal with the career guidance needs of students of Initial Professional Qualifications Programs (Spanish initials, PCPI). These programs were designed for students over the age of sixteen, who have failed to obtain a Compulsory Secondary Education diploma, and as a consequence, being at risk for unemployment and social exclusion.

Main research questions in this phase were: ‘What kind of support do these students need related to make decisions on and to develop their careers?’; ‘What do they need in relation to their transition from school to work or to pursue a higher level of Vocational and Educational Training (VET)?’; ‘How do they live their past, their present and how do they feel in relation to their future?’. In this work we present the outcomes obtained taking into account students´ perceptions. Furthermore, we have also collected data from teachers and counselors’ perceptions on the matter.

Actually, a meaningful number of young people leave the school prematurely or without any qualification. They need guidance programs that help them engaging the work market and/or starting further studies. Accordingly to OECD (2004), career guidance programs should form part of a set of actions aimed to prevent early school leaving.

We take for granted the concept of guidance established by the European Commission (2004:2), and later assumed by CEDEFOP (2006): “guidance refers to a range of activities that enables citizens of any age and at any point in their lives to identify their capacities, competences and interests, to make educational, training and occupational decisions and to manage their individual life paths in learning, work and other settings in which these capacities and competences are learned and/or used”. As a matter of fact,the research process is embedded in the Life Long Learning’s perspective of guidance, where transition processes are regarded as essential elements in guidance delivery. We adopt the points of view of the Systems Theory Framework of Career Development and Guidance (Patton & Mc Mahon, 2006) and Systemic Pedagogy approach (Hellinger & Olvera, 2010), for developing guidance programs, in order to support students in their task of designing life and professional projects (Romero Rodríguez, 2009).

 We intended this way, find out the guidance needs, firstly to elaborate life and professional projects and, secondly to transit successfully from school to work.  Data collected will allow us to design a guidance program and a virtual supporting platform. Both, needs assessment and the program are based on Systems Theory Framework of Career Guidance.

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