This paper, based on information concerning the current status of vocational guidance in various countries, describes the main trends in its development in the context of the democratization of education. The experiences of the following countries are reviewed: Austria, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, France, German Democratic Republic, Great Britain, Hungarian People's Republic, Japan, People's Republic of Poland, Switzerland, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and United States of America. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) in the socialist countries, the right to education is directly linked to the right to work through the targets set by the various parts of the educational system; (2) in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the role of vocational guidance is intended to develop the ability and readiness of young people for work in their chosen occupation, and is closely connected to moral education in emphasizing the importance of diligence, discipline, initiative, creativity, love of work, and respect for all occupations; (3) the market economies of Western Europe, the United States, and Japan differ from the aims, content, and forms of the socialist polytechnical system, in that they are not directly based on immediate production; and (4) as a consequence, vocational training in Western Europe, the United States, and Japan is mainly the responsibility of enterprises, while vocational guidance in schools is aimed at adapting students to conditions prevailing in the economy and to technological development. (TE)