Educational Chains

Towards the end of their time at school, many students begin to think about their future career paths. It is crucial that their journey into the working world is as easy as possible in order to become active members of society.

This is where the BMBF “Educational Chains” initiative, launched in 2010, comes in. The aim is to support young people as they take their first steps into working life, thereby counteracting the skills shortage. Careers guidance therefore begins early on in a systematized manner. Where needed, the adolescents receive individual mentoring to complete their school-leaving qualifications and make their way into the world of work.

Together with the schools and the Länder, the Federal Government, job centres and local authorities all adhere to a holistic funding philosophy in their activities. Since, as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”, support activities range from school, to the transition period all the way to the end of training.

The Federal Government and the Federal Employment Agency work with the Länder to coordinate their activities and ensure cohesion. Together, they bear responsibility for mentoring and supporting young people as they transition from school into work.

At a national level, there is a range of funding instruments available.

Funding instruments

For school students

The Vocational Orientation Programme (BOP)

For many school pupils, the Vocational Orientation Programme is the first time they ask themselves the question “What job do I want to have later in life?”

The Vocational Orientation Programme comprises a skills assessment during the seventh grade and practical careers guidance days the following year. For many adolescents, the skills assessment is the entry point into career orientation. This first step does not focus on specific jobs: the skills assessment directs adolescents’ attention to their own talents, strengths and interests before they can try out specific job-related activities during the practical careers guidance days.
The practical careers guidance days are not held in companies, but at non-school learning venues that are equipped with training workshops and practice facilities. These venues provide the ideal environment to try things out in a realistic, but safe setting. The adolescents are guided by instructors as they give them a practical introduction to activities relevant to specific occupational fields.
At the end of the practical careers guidance days, the adolescents set out their first development targets and use these to decide the next steps for their ongoing personal career orientation.

Higher education or training? VerOnika up!

Training or higher education? After school, many pupils are faced with this question. The BMBF-funded collaborative project VerOnika up! focusses on the development and trial of orientation programmes at the intersection between vocational and academic training. It provides insight into vocational and academic educational pathways.

There are orientation activities in mathematics, IT, natural sciences and technology as well as social fields.

The participants’ core values reflect how vocational and academic qualifications are viewed by society. VerOnika up! therefore aims to give these ideas a reality check. Measures include enabling greater integration of the vocational side into the programme as well as facilitating personal contact with people from different careers.

Jobnavigator

The flood of information found online can be overwhelming for adolescents as they try to navigate their way through career orientation. The “Jobnavigator” (Berufenavi) consolidates information for young people, specifically aimed at school leavers (16-20 years old).

The Jobnavigator explains the following types of training:

• dual training occupations, where learning is split between a company and part-time vocational school,
• medical and healthcare professions, which are taught at full-time vocational schools attached to practical institutions and are subject to standardized national regulations,
• training occupations governed by Länder-level regulations, taught at full-time vocational schools,
• other training occupations, which are subject to standardized national regulations, but which do not – from a legal point of view – fall into the three categories above.

Career-choice passport and career-choice app

Portfolio tools have been a permanent fixture of careers guidance activities for over 20 years. The career-choice passport (Berufswahlpass) folder is a well-established tool. Its digital counterpart, the career-choice app (berufswahlapp) has been available at selected schools since 2022.
The passport helps school pupils to collect and structure relevant careers guidance documents all in one place. Documents include their personal strengths profile, work experience documents, career choice research results and life planning tips.
In general, career orientation portfolios are used from the seventh grade onwards. The career-choice app and career-choice passport are incorporated in various relevant activities run by schools and the Federal Employment Agency. Almost all of the Länder have integrated at least one of the two documentation and reflection tools into their strategies addressing the transition between school and work.

For refugees and migrants

Career Orientation for People from Refugee and Migrant Backgrounds (BOFplus)

In order to make it easier for refugees and migrants to start an apprenticeship or enter training, it is beneficial to combine careers guidance activities with practical, job-related language classes. The individualized programme is called Career Orientation for People from Refugee and Migrant Backgrounds (BOFplus).
As part of a preliminary orientation phase, candidates can test whether the goals and content of the BOFplus course are a good fit for them. During the course, they can try out different trades at a vocational education and training institution. Furthermore, they can also learn specialist vocabulary and job-specific knowledge as well as familiarizing themselves with relevant companies. They receive support to help them start an apprenticeship or training or to enter into higher education. The course can also be completed on a part-time basis.

Conditions for participation

• Refugee or migrant background
• Completed compulsory education
• Sound knowledge of German (B1 level recommended)
• Access to labour market

KAUSA – all about training

The KAUSA Coordinating Offices for Vocational Training and Migration help young people with a history of forced migration and displacement to enter into training. Since 1999, they have supported employers with a migrant background to start providing training within their company. In addition to this, the coordinating offices also provide information for companies who wish to provide training for young refugees.

Young people with a history of forced migration and displacement can use the KAUSA coordinating offices to obtain advice about Germany’s dual training system, occupations requiring formal training and career paths.

The focus of the KAUSA projects is aligned to respond to the current societal situation. Accordingly, new tailor-made programmes were rapidly introduced in spring 2022 to help refugees from Ukraine.

For trainees

Volunteer trainee mentoring – VerAplus

Problems at vocational school? Stressed about exams? Trouble at work? Difficulties can occur during training. But help is at hand: the volunteer training mentors from VerAplus support young people during their training. The coaches have decades of professional and life experience and are knowledgeable about the world of work.

VerAplus aims to improve training success. The coaching programme provided by the Senior Expert Service was launched in 2008 with funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. VerAplus has already successfully assisted more than 22,000 young people. The programme thus plays an important role in combating the shortage of skilled workers.

For everyone looking for careers guidance

Digital careers guidance with "zynd"

The digital careers guidance programme "zynd" is aimed at young people in particular, but can be used by people of all ages. Using a playful approach, it encourages users to reflect on their own interests and perceptions of different jobs.

Specialist educators can also use this online space to connect with the site’s users.

Summer of Vocational Training

The Summer of Vocational Training (Sommer der Berufsausbildung #AusbildungSTARTEN) is aimed at everyone looking for the right career path for them and hoping to find all sorts of information about vocational training as well as companies looking for the right new trainees or who want to create and fill training places.

The Summer of Vocational Training is an initiative set up by the Alliance for Initial and Further Training. This includes associations, ministries, trade unions and employers. The campaign is not just limited to the summer months and usually runs from March until October. The aim is to connect young people and training companies so that as many people as possible can start training and as many skilled professionals as possible can start working.

Topics and events

The Summer of Vocational Training offers mostly regional, but also national opportunities, such as special events (career trade fairs, speed dating sessions, training-related webinars for parents and companies, interactive career orientation activities), information platforms or short/orientation work experience sessions to help young people find the right career path and companies to find the right trainees.

For institutions providing careers or education guidance and companies

Klischeefrei

“Which job would suit me?” Many young people are unsure about how to approach choosing a job or degree course and thus find themselves influenced by the gender stereotypes that they and their environment have internalized. This leads to girls frequently leaning towards professions characterized by a high proportion of women and boys choosing professions with a high proportion of men. The consequence is that young people often restrict themselves greatly in the range of careers they are willing to consider.

Industry and society are reliant upon people being able to put their skills to the best possible use. A competitive economy requires highly-skilled workers, evenly distributed across all spheres of work.

This is the starting point for the initiative launched by the BMBF and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) in 2016. It works towards dismantling the preconception that jobs should be attributed to specific genders and the impact this has. The aim is to overcome gender stereotypes by working together with all the institutions involved in careers and education guidance. This is to enable young people to follow their own career path in accordance with their individual talents and potential.

The Initiative Klischeefrei service agency provides information and advice services for stakeholders in early education, school and higher education institutions, companies, careers advice and guidance providers and parents. Annual specialist conferences provide a space for networking and exchanging information about various measures. The Initiative Klischeefrei’s information portal contains details about numerous activities to promote careers and education guidance free from gender stereotypes, including methods for early education and schools, e-learning platforms for careers guidance counsellors and companies, factsheets and themed portfolios.

Summer of Vocational Training

The Summer of Vocational Training (Sommer der Berufsausbildung #AusbildungSTARTEN) is aimed at everyone looking for the right career path and hoping to find all sorts of information about vocational training as well as companies looking for the right new trainees or who want to create and fill training places.

The Summer of Vocational Training is an initiative set up by the Alliance for Initial and Further Training. This includes associations, ministries, trade unions and employers. The campaign is not just limited to the summer months and usually runs from March until October. The aim is to connect young people and training companies so that as many people as possible can start training and as many skilled professionals as possible can start working.

Topics and events

The Summer of Vocational Training offers mostly regional, but also national opportunities, such as special events (career trade fairs, speed dating sessions, training-related webinars for parents and companies, interactive career orientation activities), information platforms or short/orientation work experience sessions to help young people find the right career path and companies to find the right trainees.

For students

Dropped out – now what?

What opportunities are available to people who have chosen to discontinue their studies?
People who discontinue their studies are often unaware of the chances and opportunities offered by vocational education and training.

It is especially important that these people receive good advice that takes into account their individual situation and recommends suitable solutions and points of contact. Guidance services that work together with network partners are particularly expedient. In order to establish a cooperative range of advisory services, the BMBF funds three beacon projects:

• Queraufstieg advisory network (Beratungsnetzwerk Queraufstieg)
• Quickstart Sachsen Transfer
• Kompass in M-V

These projects aim to compile and optimize existing guidance services for people dropping out of university and apply best practice approaches from regional guidance and placement projects.

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024