In recent years, between 2,000 and 3,000 pupils in Rhineland-Palatinate have left school every year without a vocational qualification. "Every one of them is one too many," emphasizes Christian Back, head of the Realschule plus Idar-Oberstein in Rostocker Straße. For this reason, a project class entitled 'None without qualifications' (KoA) will be set up there from the coming school year. In this class, young people who would otherwise have left school without a qualification will be guided in small learning groups to vocational maturity and also receive in-depth vocational guidance as part of career orientation measures. Back and the didactic coordinator, Vice Principal Julia Molter, have developed a comprehensive concept for this. This will be presented to interested parties and potential cooperation companies at an information event on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 6 p.m.
Individual support
"The 'No one without a qualification' project promises success for young people who have previously experienced a setback," explains Vice Principal Julia Molter. This is because the reasons why young people are unable to obtain a qualification in the mainstream education system are highly individual. In order to address these problems, the KoA curriculum and support plan is also individually tailored to each pupil. This is achieved through a maximum class size of 16 pupils, who are supervised and supported by two teachers. There is no conventional timetable, but rather subject groups for mathematics and science, German, social studies, English, sport and ethics.
The aim is to provide training
The high level of practical relevance is also special: in addition to three school days per week, there are two work placement days in a training company. "We are looking for companies to cooperate with, as they can actively help shape the necessary teaching content," says principal Christian Back. The 'No one without a qualification' program is therefore also extremely interesting for potential training companies looking for future specialist staff. This is because the pupils receive individual support and encouragement on their way to subsequent training.
Special learning environment
In addition to the educational content, the learning environment should also reflect the special character of the project class. The plan is to convert the former teaching pool into a 'classroom plus' based on the cluster model. Learning landscapes will allow for a high degree of individualized teaching, and each participant will also receive comprehensive equipment and their own space to work.
Opportunity for training companies
Within the project, in-depth vocational orientation and practical relevance are particularly important. In their lessons, the teachers combine general education content with vocational orientation. Together with the extracurricular cooperation partners, the pupils develop qualifications that prepare them for the world of work and also for the special needs of the training company. In addition to technical skills, the focus is also on topics such as punctuality, diligence and reliability. "We would therefore be delighted if as many potential employers as possible attended our information event," says Julia Molter. The event will take place on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the Realschule plus in Rostocker Straße 2 in Idar-Oberstein.
Further information on the 'No one without a degree' project can be found at julia.molter@idar-oberstein.de. For better planning of the event, please register at the above e-mail address.