Page 134 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

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

(a) increasing pupil motivation and engagement in learning activities, especially
of those with a low level of interests in pure theoretical approaches;
(b) developing cross-cutting skills such as team working, problem-solving and
communication, and providing an opportunity to demonstrate skills that do
not always receive recognition in the classroom;
(c) integrating theoretical knowledge with a more practical approach;
(d) providing pupils with a taste of a real working environment and requirements
of the workplace.

Enterprises have praised the project because it equips pupils with practical
and cross-cutting skills that are essential in the workplace but are generally not
addressed by formal education.

Berufsvorbereitungsjahr, Germany
The Berufsvorbereitungsjahr (BVJ) is a one-year training course, generally offered on a full-time
basis. It is targeted at young people who do not have a training contract, either because of the
economic situation or because they do not have the required competences. Provision varies
across the federal states and during the academic year 2006-07 the majority of participants came
from Baden-Württemberg (12 300), Sachsen (7200), and Niedersachsen (7000).

The programme aims to provide young people with vocational guidance and to enable them to
acquire vocational skills and capabilities. It also allows participants to become familiar with
vocational demands, to identify their own individual preferences, and to assess and improve their
personal achievement potential.

Vocational training is provided through full-time instruction, designed to give an introduction to
one or two occupational fields. Alongside this, practical training takes place through internships
and industrial placements in companies, at inter-company training centres, or in vocational
training workshops for the disabled. As a result, young people can gain practical experience by
working one or two days a week, as well as having theoretical lessons in general education and
being taught by a teacher.

The majority of participants have no secondary school qualification (Hauptschulabschluss), which
puts them at a considerable disadvantage in the labour market or if they wish to pursue further
education. The BVJ gives participants the opportunity to catch up and work towards acquiring a
secondary schools qualification.

From 1992 to 2002 the number of pupils taking part in the BVJ steadily increased. However, over
the last two years school enrolment has declined by 7.4 % in relation to the previous academic
year. During the academic year 2006-07 approximately 71 900 adolescents and young adults
took part in the BVJ. Just under two-thirds were male (43 800 or 60.9 %); and 12 600 were
foreigners (17.6 %).

Information for this example was compiled from two sources: The Eurydice 2006-07 Report on
the education system in Germany and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 2008
Berufsbildungsbericht.

In Germany, the Berufsvorbereitungsjahr (BVJ) aims to prepare young
people for in-company vocational training and helps them to choose a career. It

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