One of the European Union 2020 targets is reducing Early School Leaving (ESL) rate to less than 10 %. A multitude of approaches to combating ESL have been adopted across Europe. Each country has its own strategy and in a number of European countries lifelong guidance is identified as a beneficial measure for tackling early leaving from education and training. This Concept Note, commissioned by The European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) discusses the policy context and different approaches adopted by EU Member States,  and the role of guidance in prevention, intervention and compensation actions related to ESL.

The Concept Note, published in December 2014, has been commissioned by ELGPN, and supported by a reference group drawn from its members.