The Didacta 2023, one of the largest education fairs in Europe, put career in its focus. The new offer for students did not only inspire them but also teachers and companies. The focus of interest was the development of a career assistant as part of the MERLOT project and the innovative workbook for finding a career. Didacta is known for presenting innovative ideas and concepts from the education sector every year.
The Career Assistant as part of the MERLOT project
Particularly impressive was the presentation of the concept for a new career assistant that is being developed as part of the MERLOT project. (MERLOT is part of the Gaia X initiative to promote digital sovereignty and data security in Europe.)
The Student Career Assistant will be a smart service within the MERLOT project. It is a new platform based on state-of-the-art technology that helps students to find their dream job. It is based on the interest and skill profiles of the students, which are created through self-assessment, direct questions, and tests either with the help of a chatbot including a voice function or manual input. An avatar as a career advisor accompanies the path to the dream job and gives tips for further education and internships to increase the chances. The search for suitable job offers is made efficient and a network diagram visualizes why a job might suit the student. The career navigator then shows the path from the current position to the final career goal. In the career assessment, assessment center questions are answered to give companies a personal impression of the student. The students are accompanied until they find their first full-time job.
The Career Assistant is therefore an innovative platform for finding the best possible way to realize one’s vision for the future.
Student career offers for teachers and companies
Teachers were also enthusiastic about the offers of Schülerkarriere. In particular, the new career guidance book for students was met with great interest. The interactive workbook, which helps students reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, get to know different occupational fields, and finally make well-founded decisions about their career goals, was enthusiastically received. The workbook has a modular structure and can therefore be individually adapted to the needs of the learners. The teachers praised the practical relevance of the workbook as well as the targeted approach to finding a career.
Companies were also impressed by the services offered by Schülerkarriere. They hope that the targeted promotion of young talents will lead to a better match between the requirements of the labor market and the qualifications of future employees. Furthermore, they see the new concepts like the Career Assistant as an opportunity to get in touch with potential skilled workers at an early stage and to win them over for their company.
Didacta 2023 has once again proven that it is an important driver of innovation in the education sector. The new range of student careers, particularly the new career assistant, has the potential to fundamentally change how students find their careers and help them better identify and strive for their professional goals. The career service is being further developed as part of the MERLOT project.
Questions about this can be directed to Julia Schierholz (julia.schierholz(at)schuelerkarriere.de).
