The need for a better skilled and creative workforce for the European labour market has been identified as one of the strategic goals in EU policy statements and recommendations. The aim is to raise the level of education throughout Europe and to foster forward-looking and innovative citizens with ability for divergent and visionary thinking. The best result for enhancing these skills would be proactive game-changers able to explore and create new opportunities and jobs. Among transversal competences needed for lifelong learners and “workers 2020”, the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, as ability to turn ideas into action, includes the capability to assess themselves, owned competences and talents, and the context of work to seize opportunities that arise. Self-awareness on owned skills and self-development skills are a key competence that is to be acquired by young people. Both educational guidance – in the choice of studies, and career guidance – in the choice of professions and labour market field, can greatly contribute to improve employability of young people. Career centres at the higher education institutions provide support and guidance to this respect, both as educational guidance and career guidance: transition periods, particularly between university and the labour market, should be supported, and the effectiveness of this support would be enhanced if the students have already acquired career development skills. ICARD aims therefore at developing a European Career Development Programme, addressed to individual students in higher university, by designing and developing a programme tailored on the European educational and cultural system. Results of ICARD include: - an update state of the art of the available programmes, modules or practices fostering self-awareness and self-learning of higher education students on professional development, including education guidance, ongoing guidance and career guidance, covering then the entire study cycle at the university; - the European Career Development Programme, a transversal learning programme aimed at fostering acquisition of professional awareness and career management skills in higher education students which will include the learning architecture (programmes composed by modules, learning materials, evaluation and assessment tools); - min. 4 learning pathways activated, at least covering one full programme, in four countries in Europe; - guidelines and recommendations for the adoption of the programme by further universities; - a raised awareness on the need of a more aware and skilled young workforce.