Thematic Conference Youth-at-risk European Guidance Forum Potsdam, 11. – 13. May 2006

1. Thematic Conference Youth-at-risk EuropeanGuidance ForumPotsdam, 11. – 13. May 2006 Dr. Bernhard Jenschke System of Career Guidance and Counselling in Germany

2. Education and Employment Area • Guidance in • Education Area • Schools • Colleges • Universities • Further Education • Private Sector Cooperative Career Education and Guidance • Guidance in • Employment Area • Employment Agencies • Training Institutions • -Employers Association • Labour Unions • Municipalities • Non-Profit Sector • Private Sector

3. Employment Area – Legislation • Social Code III: legal responsibility for Career Guidance to the Federal Employment Agency (FEA) and its Local Employment Agencies (LEA) • VG for youth and adults, jobseekers, and special target groups • Placement Services for jobseekers, unemployed persons, youths and adults looking for jobs or in company training opportunities • Monopoly of FES: Up to 1998

4. Provision of Guidance and Counselling Clients/Target Groups(LEA): • School leavers, students, graduates, young people entering working life • School drop-outs, socially disadvantaged • Migrant workers, young migrants 2nd/3rd generation • Handicapped and disabled • Unemployed and adults looking for vocational reorientation or retraining • Persons re-entering the labour market (women after baby pause etc.)

5. Guidance for special target groups-at- risk • Career Guidance and vocational rehabilitation for young disabled • Career guidance , vocational preparation and training schemes for disadvantaged youth • Career guidance and training schemes for migrants

6. Municipalities Enterprises Training Institutions Local Employment Agency (FES) (legal responsibility) Employers Associations Private Career Counselling Labour Unions Non Profit Organisations Providers of Career Guidance and Counselling - Employment Area -

7. Secondary School Basic knowledge about economy/world of work Basic career education Work shadowing programmes Cooperative Projects with local Enterprises Employment Agency Classes for career education for all students Career Information Centre-BIZ Career Information System (web based, print products) Self assessment tools Individual counselling in school or labour agency Placement Service for training opportunities Cooperative Career Education and Guidance Cooperative activities in Schools and Higher Education delivered by

8. Guidance and Counselling Activities Working Methods (LEA): • Class room lectures (compulsory in secondary school) • Group information sessions / Group counselling • Individual counselling by personal interviews • Profiling; Action plan for each client • Psychological testing and support by vocational psychologist • Medical Service in each local employment agency • Team counselling (together with psychologist, teacher etc.) • Self information (Career Information Centre BIZ) • Self assessment tools (“explorix”, “jobs and interest”) • Job Fairs, Recruiting Events, • Individual job/training placement • Individual coaching for job seekers (usually outsourced)

9. Resources of Guidance and Counselling Information Resources (FEA) • Web career and labour market information system by FEA (www.arbeitsagentur.de) • Internet-Job-Machine • KURS(database for further training opportunities) • BERUFEnet(database for occupational information) • Labour Market Statistics • Access to external professional data bases • Reports/analyses by the Institute for Labour Market Research of the FEA and Federal Training Institute BIBB • Brochures/magazines by FES for different target groups

10. Recent Changes for Unemployed Changes in Vocational Counselling due to new Legislation: Social Code II (from January 2005) • Merging of unemployment benefits and social assistance for claimants capable of work • Restrictive rules for suitable job/training offers; cut of benefits • Intensified coaching for claimants with multiple problems (ratio counsellor : client – 1 : 75) • Case management • Youth under 25 getting benefits (or their families) are entitled to a job or training offer within 3 months • If they refuse suitable work or training: complete cut of benefits except accommodation and heating costs

11. Municipalities Enterprises Training Institutions Local Employment Agency Employers Associations Private Career Counselling Labour Unions Non Profit Organisations Career Guidance: Communication - networking - Shared responsibility and networking for lifelong guidance -

12. College/University General Students Counselling Service Course of Study Counselling Service Career Service, including Work preparatory and shadowing programmes Cooperative Projects with local Enterprises Employment Agency Specialized Higher Education Team (individual guidance and placement service) Seminars/Workshops/Lectures (academic labour market, self marketing, drop-out etc.) Work preparatory and shadowing programmes Job Fairs, Recruiting Events Career Information System Cooperation of Career Guidance in Higher Education Guidance activities in Higher Education delivered by

13. Training of Career Counsellors • No legal regulation (except school counsellors) • No nationwide standards or guidelines for qualification • Initiatives of commonly shared standards by Counsellors Association dvb • FES University of Applied Sciences Mannheim offers a diploma in career counselling • Some Applied Universities and Universities Dresden and Heidelberg started master’s programmes for Career Counselling

14. Standards of Guidance and Counselling delivery Standards/Models of Activities (FEA): • AIOSP – Ethical Standards are agreed • Common curriculum and compendium on counselling methods assures counselling competences (“RAT”) • Profiling, Action Plan for each Client • Labour market counselling for Employers • Quality Management by quantitative indicators on integration into labour market • Surveys on customer satisfaction

15. Professional View Common standards for professional guidance delivery and ethical standards Common standards for education and training Minimum quality assurance standards Research on the effects and outcomes of guidance activities Networking: National Forum Meeting future needs of- human resource development- lifelong learning, - sustaining employability and- avoiding social exclusion Organisational View (FES) Recent labour market reforms focussing on key tasks of FES: - placement services, - reducing unemployment and- unemployment costs- “empowering and sanctioning” - strategies for claimants Shift of resources from contribution financed to tax financed counselling services Decentralisation of responsibility to local employment agencies Needs, Tendencies, Directions of Change