Background: Why the project is necessary
The drop-out rate of apprenticeships has been a critical education policy indicator for years - also in the Osnabrück region. While it was 7.9% in 2005, it rose to 22% in 2020. Nationwide, it now stands at around 29.5%. Particularly alarming: many apprenticeships are terminated in the first year of training or even during the probationary period.
This development clearly shows how challenging the transition from school to working life has become for many young people - and how important sound preparation, guidance and support are.

Project objective

The Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation's "Zukunft.Leben." pilot project supports young people at the Geschwister-Scholl-Oberschule in Bad Laer in the transition from school to vocational training or attending further education courses.
"Zukunft.Leben." aims to enable pupils to make informed, individual and sustainable career choices. In addition, they should be supported as they embark on this new phase of their lives and education in such a way that bad decisions and dropping out of education are avoided as far as possible.

Holistic support for an entire year group
Over the course of the project, the young people in an entire year group are trained and strengthened in various areas. The school's existing career guidance concept forms an important basis and is expanded with additional elements.
A central component is intensive mentoring, which is provided by experienced managers from the region. They accompany small groups of young people individually on their path of personal and professional orientation.
The skills that are to be strengthened at an individual level include

• Self-confidence, self-assurance and self-efficacy
• Motivation and willingness to perform
• Dealing with stress
• reflective handling of media and addictive substances
• Improving language skills
• Knowledge about apprenticeships and secondary schools
• confident appearance in application situations and the preparation of application documents
• Recognizing your own strengths
• social skills and appropriate manners

In addition, the project also focuses on structural and educational policy conditions in order to provide families with the support they need.

Background: Why the project is necessary
The drop-out rate of apprenticeships has been a critical education policy indicator for years - also in the Osnabrück region. While it was 7.9% in 2005, it rose to 22% in 2020. Nationwide, it now stands at around 29.5%. Particularly alarming: many apprenticeships are terminated in the first year of training or even during the probationary period.
This development clearly shows how challenging the transition from school to working life has become for many young people - and how important sound preparation, guidance and support are.

Project objective

The Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation's "Zukunft.Leben." pilot project supports young people at the Geschwister-Scholl-Oberschule in Bad Laer in the transition from school to vocational training or attending further education courses.
"Zukunft.Leben." aims to enable pupils to make informed, individual and sustainable career choices. In addition, they should be supported as they embark on this new phase of their lives and education in such a way that bad decisions and dropping out of education are avoided as far as possible.

Holistic support for an entire year group
Over the course of the project, the young people in an entire year group are trained and strengthened in various areas. The school's existing career guidance concept forms an important basis and is expanded with additional elements.
A central component is intensive mentoring, which is provided by experienced managers from the region. They accompany small groups of young people individually on their path of personal and professional orientation.
The skills that are to be strengthened at an individual level include

• Self-confidence, self-assurance and self-efficacy
• Motivation and willingness to perform
• Dealing with stress
• reflective handling of media and addictive substances
• Improving language skills
• Knowledge about apprenticeships and secondary schools
• confident appearance in application situations and the preparation of application documents
• Recognizing your own strengths
• social skills and appropriate manners

In addition, the project also focuses on structural and educational policy conditions in order to provide families with the support they need.