Career orientation (CO) in school should help early on to articulate one's own interests, strengths, and professional aspirations in order to find a seamless transition into the working world.
With the Talent Company project, the Strahlemann Foundation from Heppenheim/South Hesse aims to place a stronger emphasis on the transition from school to career. Talent Companies are specialized rooms for career orientation that the foundation sets up in schools across Germany. One such facility will also be established at the Theeltal School (TTS) in Lebach. The signing of the cooperation agreement with the project participants took place at the school on Thursday, March 9, 2023.
"62 Talent Companies have already been opened," reports Alexander Hübner, project manager of the Strahlemann Foundation. With the Talent Company at the TTS, the fourth in Saarland, previous career orientation measures are to be spatially anchored and expanded with the help of the foundation. The focus is particularly on creating synergy effects with regional training companies. "Through informational events and workshops by the participating companies, we want to showcase the diversity of professions in the region and provide practical insights. The Talent Company project aims to support young people in finding their dream job," Alexander Hübner continues.
The specialist room is expected to open by the end of the year. The Talent Company will receive colorful furnishings, internet-enabled PCs, additional presentation technology, a workspace, and a contemporary lounge area.
On the occasion of the project launch, principal Thorsten Gand said: "For me, the cooperation, combined with the space for career orientation that is being created, means that we now have a fixed place in the school where the important transition from school to the professional world becomes alive and tangible - further intertwining school and work. Especially in today's era of fast-paced media consumption and the seemingly overwhelming abundance of options, orientation is important - the space and the cooperation will make a significant contribution to this."
To successfully implement a project like the Talent Company, strong and farsighted supporters are needed. The Globus Foundation has already enabled several Talent Companies and is also the sole sponsor of the specialized room at the TTS. Michael Ipfling, chairman of the foundation, said: "We are pleased that we can now establish a Talent Company in Lebach as well. The Globus Foundation bears social responsibility, and regional ties are especially important to us."
The establishment of the Talent Company in Lebach is very welcomed by the school authority, the district of Saarlouis. Much has already been initiated regarding career orientation and preparation at the Theeltalschule through the district's school development (Natalie Sadik), emphasizes District Administrator Patrik Lauer: "These topics play a major role here." He points, for example, to a student-run company that organizes the break-time sales, as well as to the first in-school career fair, which took place recently. District Administrator Lauer, who is also patron, says about the start of the Talent Company in Lebach: "With the new space, this commitment can be further deepened, offering students an even broader career orientation. And that is more important than ever in times of increasing skilled labor shortages!"
The mayor of Lebach, Klauspeter Brill, is also enthusiastic about the project: "Often, young people do not know until shortly before finishing school where their further path will lead. In the Talent Company, students will have the opportunity early on to get to know professions and training companies. Especially for Lebach as a school location, this is a sustainable component to bring together companies urgently seeking skilled workers and young people."
Companies interested in permanently presenting their training opportunities on the so-called "Job Wall" in the specialized room are welcome to contact the foundation at info@strahlemann-stiftung.de.
More information at: www.strahlemann-stiftung.de
