An increasing number of university-level students need support and guidance during their studies to recognise their strengths and to construct their studies and expertise in view of the needs of the future workplace. The aim of the VAHTO project was to develop strengths-based future guidance practices and methods especially suited for university-level students and thereby to construct a VAHTO guidance model.

Strengths-based future guidance refers to a comprehensive idea of guidance that recognises what is needed to advance one’s strengths and career management skills and how this is attached to successful career and study planning in such a way that the student can consciously construct an individual and smooth transition from studies to the labor market.

The objectives of the project were reached through the following:

1. Finding out last-stage university students’ views, needs, and expectations in terms of guidance preparing them for the labor market,
2. Studying the practices and methods of career and future guidance at the international and national levels,
3. Based on the previous measures, developing strengths-based guidance at universities by implementing workshops that promote the participation of teachers, guidance staff, and students,
4. Implementing strength-based guidance pilots at universities, and
5. Based on the experience from the project and best practices, designing a VAHTO guidance model to be utilised in Lapland’s universities and outside the university establishment.