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Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

identify their strengths and weaknesses. They then have the opportunity to
formulate future aims.

ProfilPASS for young people (Profilpass für junge Menschen), Germany

ProfilPASS is a developmental instrument based on self-assessment supported by guidance professionals.
The system aims to review, document and assess informally acquired competences, regardless of where
they were acquired, and record them in a competence portfolio. ProfilPASS also seeks to identify the
individual’s educational, professional and life goals and to encourage their achievement.

ProfilPASS was first offered as a validation tool for adults. In May 2007, ProfilPASS for young
people was introduced on nationally in Germany. This bespoke competence portfolio is available
to young people aged 14 and above and has been tailored to meet the specific needs of this
group. It comprises two elements: the ProfilPASS folder itself and the tailored support to
complete the process, which is provided by a guidance professional.

In practice, ProfilPASS for young people offers the chance to identify and document the
competences they have developed outside of their formal education, e.g. at home with the family,
through leisure activities or employment. It is divided into three systematic steps, incorporating
both self-reflection and support from the guidance professional:
• ‘My Life’ stage involves preparing an overview of the different activities the individual takes
part in. This includes family, school, leisure time, internships, training and employment;
• ‘My Strengths’ stage encompasses analysis, by both the individual and the guidance
professional, of the competences and skills they develop through these activities. A summary
is then prepared of the individual’s particular strengths;
• ‘My Aims’ stage identifies the individual’s goals for their future personal development.
Various guidance activities are used to support young people to complete the portfolio; these can
be on a one-to-one basis and also in groups. Group work has been found to be the most
effective method for young people who are (long-term) unemployed or seeking training
opportunities, while one-to-one guidance has been identified as more effective for students in
higher school years or apprentices.

The young people can benefit from participation in the initiative during project and activity weeks
at school; during afternoon activities at all-day schools; as part of measures for young people
under the age of 25, such as the Injobs initiative; and as part of volunteering activities in sports
clubs and church associations.

A number of specific activities are used to help young people to identify their competences and
abilities:
• life puzzle: the individual makes a list of all the relevant significant people in the different
areas of their life to build up a comprehensive support network of important figures;
• a day in my life: this activity enables individuals to give an insight into the different activities
they take part in. As part of this mapping exercise, individuals list all the places, situations,
activities experiences and people involved in a particular day;
• individual overview: the individual is provided with a diagram of a person on which they list all
their strengths (outside of the person) and characteristics (inside of the person). This process
allows the individual to think about the activities, completed learning processes and acquired
skills and competences;
• jobs in my environment: this exercise gives young people an insight into the multi-faceted
nature of professional life. The individual creates a list of the jobs people do within their
personal milieu.
The information for this case study has been compiled from the the ProfilPASS website
(http://www.profilpass-online.de/) and from the ProfilPASS for young people information
brochures (http://www.profilpass-online.de/files/101-430a_web.pdf).

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