come with(me): project visit to Landsberg am Lech
25. Oct 2016 | iwis
The come with(me) project provides guidance to schoolchildren as of the 5th school year at all stages of their vocational orientation. On 28 September 2016 Gabriele Falch, Managing Director of the Munich/Upper Bavaria regional office of bayme vbm (the Bavarian Employers’ Associations for the Metalworking and Electrical Industries), had the opportunity to see for herself how it was being put into practice. In the course of a project visit to iwis motorsysteme GmbH & Co. KG in Landsberg am Lech, she discussed the project with members of the company and the local secondary school, Johann-Winklhofer Realschule.
Cooperation between schools and businesses
“The aim of the project is to provide schoolchildren with first-hand vocational information. The participating companies thus have significant input during the vocational orientation stage. Some eleven per cent of apprentices in Bavaria still end up terminating their apprenticeship prematurely because the reality of their chosen occupation is too far removed from what they imagined. The come with(me) project offers a quick and straightforward means of showing schoolchildren whether a job in the metalworking and electrical industries will really suit them,” said Gabriele Falch, explaining the motivation behind the come with(me) project, which has been implemented by the associations since 2009.
Apprentices as teachers
Apprentices in the participating companies have an important role to play in the project, as they are heavily involved in its implementation. They visit schools to report on their practical experience at work and lead class discussions on the topic. The schoolchildren also have the opportunity to visit the apprentices’ companies and create workpieces with them on site. This gives them an authentic insight into the working world and valuable first-hand knowledge of the various occupations in the metalworking and electrical industries.