Introduction. Over the past decade, there has been a steady increase in state and public attention to the problems of professional orientation in Russia. The specifics of career guidance work with children and youth require the allocation of a new distinct area of career guidance, educational career guidance, which differs in its goals, content, principles, forms, and methods from other areas such as advisory and influencing career guidance.
Aim. To present a brief systematic description of educational career guidance as one of the modern paradigms of career guidance work.
Methods. The author’s ten-year research work in this field was based on a wide range of theoretical and empirical methods, including conceptualisation, large-scale experimental work in various regions of the Russian Federation, pedagogical forecasting.
Results. A holistic scientific concept of educational career guidance as a distinct professional orientation paradigm has been formed. A scientific description of the goals and results, principles, and tools of educational career guidance is presented.
Scientific novelty. The differentiation of educational career guidance relative to other professional orientation paradigms—advisory and influencing—is substantiated. Deep interrelation of educational career guidance with the idea of lifelong learning is shown.
Practical significance. A complex of effective forms and methods of educational career guidance has been formed. Innovative regional models ensuring effectiveness of the support of the professional self-determination of children and youth are presented. An approach to solving the personnel problem in educational career guidance is outlined.