Pamela Clayton (2000) produced the following summary of the issues linked to 'Vocational Guidance and Inclusion in Lifelong Learning.' The argument of this paper is that neither lifelong learning in the narrow sense of vocational learning nor adult vocational guidance and counselling is a panacea for social exclusion. Nevertheless, for individuals who are socially excluded or at risk of being so, and for whom access to lifelong learning is likely to bring benefits, holistic, impartial, client-centred guidance is extremely important in helping people make the best choice for their circumstances and skills.

Guidance can also assist in lowering the dispositional barriers that prevent people from accessing lifelong learning. Although guidance services have no power to dismantle the far more important institutional and situational barriers, they can work actively with employers and learning providers to change systems which deter potential learners. Without, however, help and support from the state to overcome both institutional and situational barriers, and stable, adequate funding, the role of guidance is limited.

The focus here is solely on people who are socially excluded or at risk of such exclusion:

•  Information alone is of limited use.
• Adult vocational guidance and counselling involves much more than the provision of information. It teaches the skills to make choices. It is holistic, impartial and client-centred.
• It is not the task of guidance to steer every individual towards lifelong learning. Lifelong learning in the narrow sense of vocational learning is not always suitable. Access to learning is not always the first priority, and formal education does not always produce an improvement in individual economic situation.
• For the few people from groups at risk of social exclusion who do enter degree courses, guidance on choosing the course most suitable to their needs and learning preferences is essential in order to minimise the risk for individuals of investing time, money and self-esteem in a learning project which may not bring about desirable outcomes.
• People rarely 'exclude themselves' and although dispositional barriers prevent many people from accessing learning opportunities, institutional and situational barriers also require dismantling. 
• The task of guidance is to address dispositional barriers and assist people who would be helped by lifelong learning to overcome them.
• Providers of guidance can provide feedback to learning providers on institutional barriers to access and work with them to bring about change.
• Without support from the state such feedback will have a limited impact.
• Providers of guidance can work with employers in order to facilitate access to guidance for low-paid workers.
• It is the state which must persuade employers to distribute training and support for vocational education more equitably among their employees.
• Guidance services are potentially at the interface between individuals and the providers of lifelong learning.
• For guidance to realise this potential, services need to engage in active networking and collaboration with a wide range of groups, agencies and organisations.
• Guidance services need stable, adequate funding in order to form such partnerships, carry out ongoing staff training, finance evaluation and operate outreach activities.
• Good practice should be disseminated and mainstreamed, not disappear with the project funding.