What does my child need?
Every school in Baden-Württemberg has its own VO concept and implements various measures to advise, accompany and support children and young people in the process of vocational orientation.
These measures begin as early as the 5th grade or even earlier in order to take an early look at the interests, abilities and values of young people.
• Identifying interests, skills and values
This leaves enough time to explore and try out different careers.
• Exploring the world of work and careers
Guided reflection processes then help them to categorize these experiences and draw conclusions for a suitable career choice.
• Categorizing, Reflecting, Deciding
Subsequently, further VO measures at school support them in implementing and realizing these decisions.
• Implementing
An overview of the wide range of VO measures used in schools can be found in the VO toolbox of the Center for School Quality and Teacher Education:
The Vocational Orientation Process
Have you seen our movie "hand in hand into a professional future"? Then you know that the orientation and decision-making process is usually not straightforward. In many cases, it takes several turns:
Identifying interests
Exploring the world of work and careers, gaining practical experience
Reflecting and deciding
Implementing decisions
Each step can be done several times.
In order to support this process individually, the schools work with the BOaktiv method and the berufswahlapp.
The basis for a successful career choice is to pursue personal interests, identify one's own abilities, and formulate life goals: What am I interested in? What am I good at? What do I want to do? At school, this is done, for example, with BOaktiv analysis tasks to make previously neglected interests visible. Or the school uses the berufswahlapp to support students throughout their entire career choice process.
In many situations, you are also needed: you complete the test results in BOaktiv with your perspective as a parent or guardian, or you discuss individual stages and results of the berufswahlapp with your child. You will be able to confirm a lot, some of it will surprise you, and you will probably be able to add something from your everyday observations.
The world of work and career opportunities are more complex than ever. That is why students are taught where and how to find reliable information about careers. They can get an overview by meeting with career ambassadors and other representatives from the world of work (e.g. at job fairs). Practice days (e.g. Girls'/Boys' Day) and internships lasting several days or individual internship days give young people more independent contact with the world of work and allow them to test themselves in practice.
Take advantage of information sessions at your child's school and accompany your child to career fairs and other events. This will give you an overview of career opportunities in today's world of work and provide a basis for a discussion with your child.
Your child will be helped to compare his or her interests, abilities and values with the conditions and requirements of the world of work through a series of tasks and discussions to prepare for and follow up on practical experiences. This helps them develop more concrete ideas about career paths. These are discussed, for example, in the counseling services offered by the employment agency. In this way, your child will increasingly specify his or her choice of training or study.
It is good if you are in close contact with your child. On the one hand, it can be very exciting to follow the often-changing career aspirations. On the other hand, it is important to talk often about career choices and to be there for your child in frustrating moments, to encourage him or her and to work out new perspectives together.
Your child will be supported in planning and implementing the necessary steps to realize the decision he or she has made. For example, your child will learn how to make time and activity schedules, how to contact potential employers, and how to research and complete additional internships. This includes preparing application materials and practicing interviews.
School can be a catalyst, but many steps are taken independently by young people outside of school. Be supportive of your child as he or she completes these tasks, whether it is getting feedback on an application or getting tips for an upcoming interview.
