touch

“We didn’t focus on the job or the company, but on the activity,” says Maymol Devasia-Demming, Managing Director at the Alliance for Education and Learning. “You can only decide for or against a career field if you have an idea about it,” she believes. It’s not uncommon for young people to have a career in their hearts and after a few weeks of training they realize: “That’s not a good fit.” The opposite situation also exists: they prove themselves in career fields that they hadn’t previously considered himself as a natural talent. “I never thought I could do that” is a sentence that was not heard very often at the event.

Young people’s career choices often focus on a few training opportunities, while others are not in demand at all. Even if it’s only a few minutes at each table in which the students learn more about careers, that time is often enough to determine whether an internship to deepen their impression is worth it.

The concept of the stock exchange has already been tested and yet a lot was different this year. For the first time, the Ratingen Alliance for Education and Learning (ABL) managed the event alone and no longer in cooperation with the Minden-Lübecke Technical Center. Hence the new name: the careers course became “Hands-on Careers.”

The alliance broke new ground in advance: “We explained to all participating classes in advance what to expect at the event and, above all, what opportunities would be available to the students,” says Devasia-Demming. Intensive discussions were also held with teachers. “Hands-on Careers” offers young people and participating companies the opportunity to get to know each other. For the first time in the history of the stock exchange, companies were able to present themselves with a stand in the town hall foyer; students were able to talk to people, ask further questions and make contact.

For those who have to complete a student internship during the school year, the career course is a good opportunity to specifically ask about an internship position. It is much easier to speak to a trainee or trainer directly than to submit a written application. At the same time, companies have the opportunity not only to advertise their training, but also to invite talented young people to internships and trial days.

All ninth grade students from the Friedrich Ebert School, the Käthe Kollwitz School and the Martin Luther King Comprehensive School stopped by the town hall. Of course, not everyone went home with the prospect of an internship, but some positions were definitely negotiated. Particularly surrounded on the lake terrace was the excavator from the Amand company, which presented the profession of equipment operator or road builder. Everyone wanted to get in there.

But the companies involved also drew a positive conclusion afterwards. They particularly welcomed the opportunity to have direct contact with the young people. You can invite talented young people directly to internships and trial days. Devasia-Demming believes this is an opportunity that is taken far too rarely.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult to get companies to take part,” she states. Internships are also becoming increasingly rare. “Companies that are committed to opening up to young people have a better chance of finding a trainee who is fully committed to their job and who completes the training and wants to keep the job afterward,” she appeals .