The project BerufsFindungsbegeleiter (Career Catching Agent) has been ordered by the Styrian regional government (Land Steiermark (Wirtschafsressort) – in the framework of the STAP (Styrian Actionplan) in November 1999. The Steirische Volkswirtschaftliche Gesellschaft has since that year Career Catching Agents in the 4 regions (Hartberg, Leibnitz, Liezen und Voitsberg) – since autumn 2003 as well in 2 other regions: Bruck/Mur and Gröbming.

The Career Catching Agents are working as regional networkers and are especially contact-persons for young people that are searching work as an apprentice or young people, that are in a phase of vocational orientation and have a lack in information and support.

As a bridge between young people / schools / economy / institutions the career catching agents have several fields of work. In detail:

-individual coaching and support of young people, that are in a phase of vocational orientation and are searching jobs as apprentices

- supporting matchings of enterprises, that are searching for fitting apprentices through innovative methods and measures

-Establishing and initiation of structures, in order to support the flow of information, the communication and the common work in the regions (measures of networking and events with enterprises, that employ apprentices, labour service, vocational information centre (BIZ), chamber of economy (WK), BSI, schools and other regional projects,...).

a) Target groups:

-Pupils that leave school without graduation, pupils after compulsory school, pupils in / after the 9th year in school and young people that are searching for work in the regions: Bruck/Mur, Hartberg, Leibnitz, Liezen, Voitsberg

-Enterprises that are searching for apprentices

-Young people that are searching for a job as an apprentice

-Parents

-Apprentices

b) Methods:
How can we support young people?

-through help in vocational orientation, Impulses and Analysis of Status quo

-Tests of interests and personal conversations

-goal-oriented information about the market of labour of apprentices and education

-Trainings of application situation and development of stocks for the application

-through support in the search of contact to enterprises that employ apprentices

Motto: Strengthen the strengths! ...in order to be „job-fit“ in time.

c) Main objectives

- to motivate/fitting young people for the apprentices-market
- Support in the choice of vocation

Summary of project and the objectives in detail:

-Supporting young people in the choice of education, so that the choice of vocation is not a matter of fortune.

-and that enterprises get motivated apprentices

-networking between enterprises that employ apprentices, schools and young people

-Supporting schools and teachers in the transferability of vocational orientation

-co-operate with labour service, business information centre, chamber of economy, local authorities, ISOP, integration assistant, etc.

What for?
...to support together young people - the potential of our future!


d) Project offer/ Events / Activities

Ø Career-Catching-Agent-Coaching and Info-conversations - a service for pupils
Ø Impulse-workshops – to certain themes of vocational orientation
Ø contact-bourses – people searching for jobs as an apprentice meet employers
Ø Projects: "Schools and Enterprises" - Initiative and support of the transformation of the project... Content: Young people go into enterprises and discover the world of work / situation of the apprentices-market
Ø Dialogues: "School and economy" – a communication-platform, to offer teachers and employees a possibility to exchange experiences and to make efforts together
Ø Workshops for the enrichment of image of the teachers

Further offers in schools:

-Events with employees

-School-seminars („new vocations“, vocational orientation...)

-co-operation-projects school - economy

-Parents-Information - evenings...

-Dialogues school and economy

e) Outcomes:

The number of pupils searching in vain for a job as an apprentice has dropped down since the start of the project in the year 1999 in the 4 pilot regions: Hartberg, Leibnitz, Liezen and Voitsberg for 38,5% , in comparison in the other Styrian regions the rate has increased with 28,5%. The use for young people, economy and society out of the work of the career catching agents basis on 3 reasons:

-Mild transition in schools and other ways of education through orientation, information and strengthening the young people

-Strengthening employees through fitting young people (Motto: the right apprentice for the right employee“ - basing on interest, qualification and motivation).

-Lowering the rate of dropouts through fitting choice of school after the 8th year in school

-In 1st and 2nd year of the project 3/4 of all contacted young people had a mild, sucessful transition, out of these pupils 43% got a job as an apprentice and 35% made their way into a further school.

-All in all about 500 entrepreneurs have been reached and been supported through the career catching agents. In comparison with the year 2001/2002 there were 4 times more contacts with enterprises then in the 1st year of project.

-All in all in 4 regions there are co-operations with about 40 schools

-In about 380 school-seminars and -workshops the vocational orientation has been supported through information from economy, the labour market, etc. In that way about 8400 pupils have been reached.

-In special workshops and seminars about 60 multipliers (teachers for vocational orientation...) have gained further education in the field and as well about the needs of economy..