By the time they receive their school reports at the latest, many pupils are wondering what they can do after school. Not all of them have already developed clear ideas about this. And this lack of clarity causes many young people to feel insecure about their future plans. They ask themselves questions like: What do I do if I don't yet know what I want to be? How do I find out what suits me? How do I write an application? And where do I look for an apprenticeship? What should I study? Are there any support and guidance options for me? How can I bridge waiting times sensibly?
The Youth and Work Coordination Centre was set up specifically to answer questions such as these. Its aim is to support young people in their vocational orientation and integration. It activates and motivates young people to develop career prospects, even and especially when previous attempts have been associated with difficulties.
Parents can also find answers here to the question of how they can support their children in finding out what suits them and find out what other contact points there are for their children.
The coordination centre offers assistance in finding an apprenticeship, job or university place, in writing applications and in dealing with authorities, offices and employers. It also helps with the search for further training opportunities, pre-vocational measures or training programmes. It also works well and cooperatively with the careers advice service of the employment agency and the job centre, to whose advice services it refers people if necessary.
The coordination centre is also a point of contact for personal questions and problems, provides tips and, if necessary, refers people to further advice centres. The Saarpfalz district has been offering help to teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25 in this situation for 25 years now.
The Youth and Work Coordination Office is funded by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Women and Health and the European Social Fund Plus as part of the "Investment in Employment and Growth" programme.
District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo: "I can only encourage our young people in the Saarpfalz district to seek advice from our coordination centre. I understand that it is not easy for one or two of them to find a career path early on after leaving school. Sometimes they may simply lack confidence in their own abilities. But this can be built up if you are made aware of the variety of opportunities in professional life or within the framework of training programmes and can then make a better decision. Our Youth and Career Coordination Centre can look back on many years of experience in this area."
The coordination centre attaches great importance to low-threshold accessibility. No application or income check is required to make use of the centre. It is open to all young people and young adults in the Saarpfalz district who would like guidance on career prospects. A telephone appointment or an email is all that is needed to arrange a counselling session.
The contact person is Claudia Möller. She can be contacted on (06841) 104-8480 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The office is located at Scheffelplatz 1 in Homburg. Ms Möller offers external consultation hours by appointment at the town hall and the family support centre in St. Ingbert.