eGos

eGOS (E-GOvernance and e-guidance Services”) means distance vocational and educational guidance. It aims to deliver integrated and customized services to people that, for different reasons, have difficult access -or no access at all- to traditional help-desks (because they live in areas with few or no traditional guidance services; are workers and/or parents with little flexibility in time; suffer reduced mobility due to health or physical problems; are seniors or social challenged citizens who prefer the intermediation of ICT-based instruments than a direct relationship with a practitioner...).

A multi-channel open source platform (WISP: Web-based Integrated Services Platform) will enable skilled e-guidance practitioners to deliver information, advice and help services by using different ICT-based tools such as video-conferencing, e-mail, chat-rooms, forums, and so on. The eGos services will be available to final beneficiaries online on their home PC, from kiosks placed in their living areas and from EG-stations within the tester partners’ or any associated organisation. They will integrate but won't substitute already existing traditional guidance services: users who won’t use distance activities will receive help and advice in a traditional mode, as always.

E-guidance will be delivered on a 4-levels scheme. The first one (available without registration and practitioner's support) will provide basic information. Within the second, third and fourth level, trained e-practitioners will provide customized advice and counselling, supporting the users' decision-making process and their potential reassessment of educational/vocational skills, also in terms of cross border mobility. Second, third and fourth level service will require registration and scheduled sessions with a practitioner. The proper guidance delivering mode will be choosen by consent between user and practitioner.
 
Such an approach is going to have a huge impact on the citizens' attitudes (less mobility) and welfare, also bypassing encumbering architectural features and preserving the environment.