“Zeig, was du kannst!”

Interview with Susan Bach

„Zeig, was du kannst!“ supports young people who face particular challenges in the transition from school to vocational training. What approach does the programme take?

Many of the young people in our programme carry a heavy burden. They may experience addiction or violence at home, live in foster or residential care, have fled their home country or grow up in poverty. Those who come to us are often at risk of not successfully making the transition from school into working life. We therefore focus on their strengths and provide consistent support over several school years, continuing into vocational training or an appropriate further education pathway.

Practical experience is an essential part of our approach. During our Future Days, companies open their doors, participants practise job interviews and trainers provide honest feedback. This makes the world of work and regional career opportunities more tangible. We adapt the pace, materials and support very closely to each young person’s individual needs.

What makes the „Bildungswerk der Wirtschaft“ particularly well suited to delivering a programme at the transition from school to working life?

As an organisation supported by the social partners, we work closely with both schools and businesses and understand how both systems operate. As the regional office of „schulewirtschaft mv“, we also connect schools, companies, chambers and other stakeholders.

Through this network, we identify suitable companies where participants can take part in Future Days and work placements. In the future, we aim to involve our partners from the business community more closely in the long-term support of participants. This is particularly important for our target group, as practical experience has the greatest impact.

Why is „Zeig, was du kannst!“ particularly important in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania faces particular challenges in supporting young people in the transition from school to working life. Statistics show high dropout rates, an above-average proportion of young people leaving school without a qualification, at 10.4 per cent, and a growing number of complex difficulties, ranging from poverty and displacement to challenging family circumstances.

In rural areas, these problems are compounded by long distances and limited infrastructure. Young people are less mobile, local career opportunities are often not visible to them and reliable support services are limited. „Zeig, was du kannst!“ addresses precisely these challenges by providing consistent guidance, clear next steps and structured contact with companies in the region.

We have been supporting „Zeig, was du kannst!“ since 2023. What challenges was the project facing at the time, and what has changed since then?

In 2023, the project, and therefore all participating groups of pupils, was at risk of ending prematurely. One of our sources of funding had fallen through at short notice. We had to find new partners quickly and professionalise our fundraising. Since then, we have stabilised our funding and processes, refined our materials and documentation and continued to organise Future Days reliably despite the challenges of working in rural areas. We have used our dialogue with the Rudolf Augstein Foundation to develop the programme further and involve the business community more closely in its content.

Without the Foundation’s support at that critical moment, we would not be able to say today that „Zeig, was du kannst!“ is a reliable partner for young people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as they begin their working lives. The consistent support of our foundation partners has also strengthened our case for funding from the state government.