Improving Career Readiness for Young People: The Importance of Internships and Parental Involvement

Above all, young people lack insight into everyday working life, according to another point of criticism. This has consequences, because it increases the likelihood that training or studies will be discontinued.

The solution is meaningfully selected and compulsory internships, which are practically prepared and followed up in the classroom. “At the same time, we have to involve parents more, they play a decisive role in their children’s career choices,” says the council.

The aim is for young people to develop professional self-confidence. The chairman of the Action Council for Education, Professor Dieter Lenzen, explains the approach: “This enables them to make their own choice of career or study, to exercise their profession competently and to critically review their choice over and over again throughout their career path.” Unemployment means that they are able to continue their professional development in a self-determined and future-oriented manner.

Bavarian schools show how good career orientation works with the so-called “career choice seal”. The vbw supports the award together with the Bavarian Ministry of Education.

For example, she went to the Krötensee middle school in Sulzbach-Rosenberg. It cooperates with regional companies and at the same time supports its students in gaining age-appropriate professional experience. This increases the chance of finding the right job significantly.

The report can be downloaded from this link: vbw-aktionsrat-bildung.de