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National Initiatives Concerning the Career Guidance/Information/Vocational Counselling - Federal Republic of Germany
Source: OECD
In Germany, there is a statutory mandate for education and career information, guidance and counselling in the following areas:
Schools
Education information, guidance and counselling is provided by school psychologists, school counsellors and teachers (in the stricter sense), who counsel on school career and vocational orientation. Responsibility and financing lies with the school authorities of the Länder.
Higher Education
In the area of higher education, as study counselling by higher education institutions (Central Academic Advisory Service and Academic Advisory Service for Guidance on Courses) for students and those interested in taking up studies, regulated e.g. in the Framework Act for Higher Education and in the Higher Education Acts of the Länder; under the responsibility of the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder and the individual higher education institutions.
Federal Employment Service (BA)
In the area of the Federal Employment Service (BA), as career counselling for young people and adults by the employment offices, regulated in the Social Code III (§§ 29 ff. SGB III) as a nationwide service to all persons either participating or wanting to participate in the labour force. The BA has concluded a binding framework agreement with the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (KMK) and agreements at Länder level with individual Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs on cooperation between schools and career counselling services in helping to prepare pupils for their career choice. These agreements are constantly updated.
Social and Youth Welfare Offices of the Municipalities
In the area of social and youth welfare offices of the municipalities, for recipients of social assistance according to the Federal Social Assistance Act (BSHG) and for recipients of (vocational) assistance for children and young people according to the Child and Youth Services Act (KJHG).
There are recommendations for cooperation between the employment offices and the municipalities with regard to vocational integration of benefit recipients (particularly on the integration of the long-term unemployed and disadvantaged young people)
At municipal level, there are training and continuing education counselling programmes financed by or on behalf of the municipalities, providing information and advice on local (continuing) education and training opportunities (e.g. at the Volkshochschulen (adult education centres) or regional training centres)
Private and Public Institutions
Furthermore, numerous private and public institutions offer counselling services, e.g. private education providers, chambers and industrial associations, some private career counselling firms, personnel and management consultants, etc. In individual cases, these institutions are also commissioned by the employment offices or the municipalities.
Vocational orientation in schools
Over the past years, various direct contacts and collaborations between individual schools and individual companies/enterprises have developed with the aim of intensifying and improving vocational orientation in schools. These collaborations are also funded from the public purse:
Vocational orientation for Abitur holders, students in higher education and academic graduates
In April 2001, establishment of a network "Pathways into Higher Education" with representatives of industry, the labour administration, higher education institutions, the student services organizations and parents with the aim of encouraging Abitur graduates to embark on higher education studies and in order to eliminate the shortage of young professionals in certain academic occupations: organization of fairs and other information and orientation events (www.wege-ins-studium.de)
Establishment of a total of 60 higher education teams of the employment offices in cities with major universities: a special new service offered by the employment offices for counselling, orientation and placement of higher education students and graduates (www.arbeitsamt.de/.........).
Recently, projects for vocational preparation and for vocational orientation, as well as Career Services or Career Centres at higher education institutions have increasingly been set up in order to prepare students for the transition to the labour market and to establish and foster contacts with industry and potential employers – partly in cooperation with the higher education teams of the employment offices and local industry (www.forum- berufsbildung.de/.......).
Social Code III is the most important steering instrument in order for the BA to fulfil its statutory mandate, also with regard to the provision of career counselling and vocational orientation: The BA is in a relatively autonomous position and not subject to government instructions in fulfilling this statutory mandate.
The Federal Employment Service and the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany concluded an agreement on cooperation between schools and career counselling services on February 12, 1971. The agreement states that
Effective collaboration between schools and career counselling services was established by the agreement and the framework agreement at national and Länder level. Both agreements are of paramount importance for the development of a concept to prepare for career choice agreed between schools and career counselling services, for the development of measures based on partnership and cooperation and for a joint strategy for the future.
The number of ordinances, announcements, etc. on vocational orientation, which complement the "Framework Agreement on Cooperation between Schools and Career Counselling Services" or the subsequent agreements of the Länder with the Länder employment offices, varies greatly from one Land to another. Some Länder consider their Land-specific agreement on cooperation between schools and career counselling services to be sufficient, others regulate some areas only, such as the organization of visits to local companies, practical placements, etc.
It has to be taken into consideration that a delimitation of the content of "vocational orientation" is made in different ways. Some Länder define vocational orientation more precisely in curricula but provide vocational information on the Law on the Protection of Minors at Work and on social insurance within the framework of vocational orientation. Others argue that all instruction in subjects like "careers education" or "work-industry-technology" contribute to vocational orientation.
Vocational orientation has become an integral part of teaching in all types of schools. The focus is usually on the last two years in all school types. However, vocational education is often started much earlier.
The global aims of vocational orientation are skills with regard to school career and occupational choice as well as the ability and maturity to choose a career. These goals require key qualifications, i.e. basic insight, attitudes, abilities and skills which better enable young people to determine their individual life and their participation in political action in society.
At political level, activities are steered by the joint self-administration of the Federal Employment Service (one third employers, one third employees, one third public authorities). In addition, the so-called "Alliance for Jobs, Training and Competitiveness" (a consensus body of the Federal Chancellor consisting of representatives of the social partners and other relevant groups) also has a certain steering influence on the career counselling services of the BA. Contractual agreements with the Länder Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and of Science, the University Rectors’ Conference at federal and Länder level and further cooperation partners complement the global steering instruments.
Aims, content, procedures, service and organizational forms of career counselling and orientation are regulated in a binding form by central directives (official journal circular orders) of the main office of the BA in Nuremberg to the employment offices (cf. annexes RdErl 3/93, RdErl 4/99, RdErl 37/99; RdErl 30/01). The most recent version of the counselling concept and methods is laid down in the "Fachliche Arbeitshilfe: Methodik der beruflichen Beratung" of December 1992. A revised and enlarged edition with regard to the concerns of career counselling for adults seeking advice and unemployed adults is about to be published.
Within the organisation, the career counselling services and the service quality are steered through the "New Steering Model" of the BA, e.g. by means of a service catalogue with defined quality standards and targets and suitable measuring tools and code numbers for business segment controlling as well as by means of target agreements between employee teams and management (cf. annex: service catalogue). Supervision by superiors, quality circles of employees and regular client and employee surveys complement the steering activities. In order to assess long-term effects, evaluation studies are made from time to time by external scientific research institutions (cf. MatAB 3/96 and 2/98 in annex).
The Federal Employment Service supports the professional ethical standards for educational and vocational guidance (cf. annex) adopted by the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG).
The training of career counsellors in Germany was determined for a long time by the monopoly of the BA on career counselling, which existed until 1998, because officially there were no other career counsellors than those employed by the BA. There are the following training pathways for career counsellors and work counsellors within the BA
It can be expected that the abolition of the BA's career counselling monopoly and the establishment of career counselling services outside the BA will lead to the establishment of separate training and study courses. Relevant approaches and ideas exist at Mannheim University (Professor Peter Hofer), at Dresden Technical University (Professor Frank Nestmann) and at the BA Fachhochschule in Mannheim for a postgraduate study course.
The public career counselling services are regulated by Social Code III (SGB III), and are under the responsibility of the Federal Employment Service and its regional employment offices (181 employment offices nationwide with more than 800 branch offices). The Federal Employment Service is a corporation under public law with self-administration, and not a subordinate authority of the Federal Government. The role of the Federal Ministry of Labour is limited to legal supervision. The self-administration of the BA consists of one third each of representatives of the employers, the trade unions and government (Federal Government, Länder and municipalities). On all three levels of the tripartite organization of the BA (central office, Länder employment offices, employment offices), there are self-administration organs (central, regional, local). The BA budget is not tax-financed but comes 50% from employees’ and 50% from employers’ contributions to the Federal Employment Service (unemployment insurance). The rate is currently 6.5% of gross remuneration. Expenses for career counselling and vocational orientation are also paid out of the BA budget. The BA has therefore sole responsibility for all three tasks listed in the above question.
School career regulation and vocational orientation form part of school instruction. Within vocational orientation, counselling and information on occupations is a responsibility of the Federal Employment Service.
By means of the self-administration bodies of the BA at central, regional and local level, the government, employers and employees, as well as the municipalities – as providers of social assistance and youth welfare services and therefore in their capacity as counselling service providers for the clients of youth services and social welfare – are involved in the business policy of the BA and the individual employment offices. Coordination at political level is mainly done through the self-administration bodies. In addition, specific coordination and ad hoc cooperation is achieved by the participation of the employment offices in municipal bodies, such as the Youth Welfare Committee, the Social Welfare Committee, the Economic Promotion Committee or at so- called round-tables and in other counselling and coordination bodies.
Cooperation with schools in vocational orientation and career counselling of pupils takes place on the basis of the framework agreement with the Conference of the Länder Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs by local agreements and personal arrangements between schools/school management/teachers and career counsellors.
Employers' Organisations
The employers are represented on the self-administration bodies of the BA and are therefore included in the political and administrative steering of the career counselling services of the BA.
Employer organizations, chambers and individual companies have always participated in certain activities of career counselling by the employment offices, such as careers fairs, exhibitions, exchanges for training places, exchanges for jobs, continuing training fairs, etc. Representatives of companies, occupations or chambers often give talks on occupation-related topics at vocational orientation events of career counselling in the job information centres of the employment offices.
For some years, employer organizations and companies have stepped up their commitment to vocational orientation in schools. They participate in specific school projects, establish sponsorships with schools, organize projects and placements in companies, excursions and more. The "Stiftung der deutschen Wirtschaft" ("Foundation of German Industry") (www.sdw.de ) has launched the nationwide project "Transjob", which implements projects on vocational orientation and preparation of career choice at 95 schools (www.transjob.de ). In addition to interesting young people in specific occupations, the aim of these activities is also to increase economics education at general schools and to anchor entrepreneurial thinking in young people’s minds.
Within the framework of training under the dual system, it is a legal obligation of the chambers to offer training counselling for training companies and apprentices under the dual system. As a rule, this counselling covers questions of training in companies or of the adequacy of training within a company, less often questions of career counselling for individuals. Beyond this, employer organizations or chambers as a rule do not have their own education and career counselling services. The educational organizations of industry as private education providers often offer training and career counselling services to their own as well as external participants in addition to their training and continuing education programmes. Usually, these are geared to adult employees or unemployed persons, less often to young people or pupils. If, within the framework of assistance under SGB III, an educational organization also offers prevocational programmes for young people (BvB) or extra-company training (BüE) or support during apprenticeship training (abH), as a rule it also offers career and education counselling services for this group of persons.
Trade unions
The trade unions are represented on the self-administration bodies of the BA and are therefore involved in the political and administrative steering of the career counselling services of the BA, like the employers.
Under the programme "workshop zukunft" (workshop for the future), the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) participates in the programme "School-Industry/Working Life" of the Federal Ministry of Education (BMBF), (www.workshop-zukunft.de ). Some trade unions (e.g. IG Metall) run attractive Internet programmes for young people who have to take a career choice (www. ..... ).
Trade unions frequently run and co-finance unemployed associations or unemployed initiatives, which offer e.g. career counselling to young people or the unemployed, but also debtor counselling or counselling of returnees to the labour force, etc.
Other stakeholders
By active work with parents (in cooperation with schools), the career counselling services of the employment offices try to win parents’ participation in the career choice preparation of their children. They organize parents’ information evenings, parents’ information days, etc. Parents are also invited to accompany their children to the counselling services of the employment offices (some 35% of young people seeking advice at the BA career counselling services are accompanied by their parents).
Student associations are usually active in giving advice to students. At nearly all higher education institutions, there are student initiatives of this type.
The German Student Services Association (Deutsches Studentenwerk) and the student services associations at the higher education institutions offer various counselling services, mainly with regard to financing, accommodation and social affairs, but also psychotherapeutic counselling of students.
Alumni associations are a relatively recent institution in Germany. Higher education institutions started to set up such associations a few years ago and are asking them to engage in orientation and counselling of students and graduates, e.g. within the framework of the newly established Career Services at higher education institutions.
Providers of youth and social welfare services are called upon by joint recommendations of the BA and the relevant central organizations to cooperate with the employment offices and municipalities (enclosures).
From time to time, associations and other groups which actually pursue other purposes (e.g. sports clubs, Rotary clubs) are also active in the vocational orientation, career counselling or vocational integration of young people.
Career counselling for young people:
Target groups:
Priorities:
Pupils are reached everywhere through the services of career counselling at schools, which are offered by the employment offices. The compulsory minimum service of career counsellors at schools includes:
Counselling and placement of adults
Target groups:
Priorities
The service concept for the counselling and placement of adults includes a graded concept, which covers self-information services, group information, assisted placement, intensive counselling and intensive placement for those who are in need of personal assistance. This setting of priorities is to guarantee that, in the face of scarce staff resources, those people are given extra assistance who are most in need of this support.
Federal Employment Service (BA): The staff at the career counselling services of the BA consists of the following groups of persons (figures rounded): 200 assistant information desk officers in the job information centres (BIZ) 8.000 placement officers for unemployed persons/people looking for work 1.750 career counsellors for unemployed persons/people looking for work 480 career counsellors for rehabilitation/severely disabled persons 2.040 career counsellors in general for young people at secondary level I 330 career counsellors for disabled young people 800 career counsellors for Abitur graduates and counsellors in the higher education team for young people at secondary level II and students/university graduates
For schools: teachers for the subject area labour/economy/technology (secondary level I) and for the subject area society/politics/economy/technology/natural sciences (secondary level II) with special training as counsellor.
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