Reduced contacts, canceled training fairs, canceled internships: During the coronavirus pandemic, many young people are facing major challenges when it comes to career guidance.
Due to the coronavirus-related restrictions in schools and the world of work, most career guidance services have been severely decimated or have simply disappeared. At the same time, many apprenticeships have been lost.
According to a study by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, 71% of the young people surveyed believe that their chances of finding an apprenticeship have worsened due to coronavirus. Among young people with a low level of education, the figure is as high as 78%. Future students are optimistic in comparison: just under a quarter believe that the pandemic has affected their chances of getting a place at university. In the view of the study authors, this is not surprising, as places at universities have not been lost as a result of the political measures. Studying is currently only more difficult because it is online.
In these times, young people urgently need inspiration for planning their future. Studies have shown that 65% feel that talking to their parents is the greatest help when it comes to career guidance, followed by talking to friends, teachers and careers advisors at school and at the employment agency. Parents always walk a fine line between supporting and patronizing. It is important to find a good balance.
Our parent advisor Lena Kolits gives you tips on how you can support your children in choosing a career.
Work with your child to find out what strengths they have. What does your child really like doing? What doesn't he or she like so much?
The following questions can be helpful:
There are numerous online tests for this. Encourage your child to try these tests or do them together with them - it can even be very entertaining! However, it is important that the test results are not seen as absolutes, but as suggestions.
As the usual methods of career guidance are not possible due to the pandemic, creativity is required. One great digital option is trainee speed dating, where companies and young people meet for mini-interviews.
One format that has already established itself is the virtual trade fair. One example of this is the i-zubi fair organized by the Unternehmerverband S�dhessen e.V. At this fair, numerous companies are represented virtually with their own stand, where visitors can find information using videos and flyers to download.
Why don't you tell your child how you got your apprenticeship, university place or job? Did you want to do exactly what you did? Or did you take a roundabout route to your current profession ? What do you particularly like about your job and what do you dislike? Who do you work with and what professions do your colleagues have?
Think through different career paths with your child. Obtaining the Abitur does not necessarily have to lead to a degree course. Conversely, a Hauptschule or Realschule qualification can ultimately be followed by a degree course. With a little work experience and a pass in the entrance exam, many things are possible today.
Create various alternatives together. Find out about career opportunities, as there are more than you think these days. And once a child has decided to train or study, their path in life is far from set in stone. After all, once a career has been chosen, it is very rare for it to last until the end of one's life, and life careers do not have to be straightforward. Let your children gather their own experiences.
When it comes to joint career guidance, it is important that you do not take the helm yourself, but rather motivate your child to become active. When parents circulate their children's job applications, many HR managers and employers wonder why the child doesn't take on this task themselves.
Some parents are annoyed by their children's supposedly lethargic behavior. Boundaries and consequences should be clearly agreed here, e.g. when pocket money is cut and the child has to earn some extra money through a part-time job.
The best way to support your child is with your time: listen attentively and ask lots of questions. Also involve experts who know your child and the career direction they are aiming for. This will help you build a good basis of trust that your child will certainly use!