Expanding vocational guidance in schools within Lower Saxony. - Reinforcing Career Advisement in Schools: Expansion Initiative by Lower Saxony
Title: Elevating Career Guidance in Lower Saxony Schools: A New Decree
Hey there! Let's chat about something exciting happening in Lower Saxony's education scene. Julia Willie Hamburg, the Minister of Education, is taking steps to beef up career guidance in schools. Here's the scoop:
Julia Willie Hamburg has recognized that many young people feel lost upon graduating from school, unsure of their next steps. To tackle this issue, her department, in collaboration with industry associations and interest groups, has revamped the guidelines for career guidance in Lower Saxony schools.
Many schools are already offering solid career guidance, but conversations with schools and businesses have illuminated the need for more comprehensive, adaptable, and student-focused strategies. The aim is to offer clearer paths, greater flexibility for collaboration, and customized approaches that cater to each student's unique needs.
The modified guidelines include:
- Introducing an additional mandatory internship for grammar schools at the secondary I level ( grades 5 to 10)
- Making the previously optional internship at vocational grammar schools mandatory (as of August 2026)
- Boosting the number of practical career guidance days in schools with secondary I and II levels from the current 25 to 35 days
- Strengthening cooperation between general and vocational schools
- Improving collaboration between schools and external partners, such as businesses and universities
- Empowering schools to design internships according to their needs
New Decree: Securing Future Talent
Julia Willie Hamburg aims to make a considerable impact on attracting skilled workers with these updated guidelines. Early and continuous career guidance ensures smoother transitions into training and studies, thereby reducing dropout rates.
The new guidelines can be adopted by schools from the forthcoming academic year, and they must do so by the academic year 2026/2027. Support will be provided, for instance, through training sessions.
"The Time for Strengthening Career Guidance is Now"
The Foundation of the Lower Saxony Employers' Association Niedersachsenmetall welcomes these guidelines. "It's high time to strengthen career guidance in schools," said Managing Director Olaf Brandes. Schools and the economy need suitable, reliable framework conditions to provide top-notch career guidance. "So that students can kick-start their professional lives successfully and Lower Saxony's economic future remains secure," added Brandes.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Lower Saxony (IHKN) also sees many advantages, such as the increase in practical career guidance days and the increased involvement of grammar schools.
However, it's unclear how schools will manage the necessary resources for outstanding career guidance and ensure consistent quality across all school types. The success of career guidance will depend on how individual schools implement these guidelines.
- Julia Willie Hamburg, in coordination with industry associations and interest groups, has made vocational training a key aspect of the revamped community policy for career guidance in Lower Saxony schools, with the goal of providing personal growth and learning opportunities for students through expanded practical career guidance days, mandatory internships, and improved collaboration between schools and external partners.
- The enhanced emphasis on education-and-self-development via vocational training in Lower Saxony schools, as outlined in the new decree titled "Securing Future Talent," aims to facilitate student success in career growth, ensuring a skilled workforce to secure Lower Saxony's economic future.
