Madrid, June 29, 2022 – The rapprochement between the educational and professional world improves students’ orientation by providing meaningful information and experiences to make the first decisions about their future. These are the main conclusions of the experts gathered at the event ‘Connecting the educational and professional world through guidance’ held today at Espacio Bertelsmann in Madrid, in which DigitalES participated.

The Xcelence-Escuelas Que Inspiran project, one of the most important initiatives carried out in Spain to reinforce academic and professional orientation in schools, has been developed and implemented by the Bertelsmann Foundation y Start By Educatingwith the collaboration of the Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid and seven city councils in Catalonia, and with the financial support of J.P. Morgan, as part of the bank’s initiative Global Career Readiness to prepare young people for the future of the labor market.

This year, more than 12,000 students have participated in orientation activities that facilitate the connection with the professional world. Among the actions carried out, the following stand out 160 company visits and talks with professionals in Madrid and Catalonia, and access to the video series “Professionals Who Inspire“These have allowed students to learn about new professions and sectors, and to reflect on what to study and what to do in the future.

About the event

At the first dialogue “High growth sectors as an opportunity for orientation”. shared the training and skills needs in sectors with high employability and highlighted the importance of organizations participating in the academic and professional orientation of students, providing information on market trends, and facilitating experiences in professional contexts that help them to detect skills, competencies and interests.

The following participated in the conversation Javier MirandaEducation, Training, PRL and Talent consultant at DigitalES; Francisco Javier Canobusiness manager at Siemens; Laura MartínArpada’s HR director; Scherezade MiletichThe event was moderated by Sara Molero, General Secretary of the Madrid Business Confederation (CEIM).

In the second round table “How to bring young people closer to the professional reality? CSR and corporate volunteering as allies of orientationThe “Orientation activities have been discussed as an opportunity for the Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Volunteering strategy of the companies. These activities can be carried out on the job and are based on the volunteer’s experience and knowledge, who also puts into practice new skills and competencies that allow him/her to learn and grow professionally and personally.

The following participated in this dialogue Santiago Quiroga, IFEMA’s Quality and CSR Director.Aránzazu Macías, Saint-Gobain professional volunteer; Jorge González, CEAP of the Colegio Salesianos Estrecho; Ashley León and Eva Lu Zheng, students from Nazareth San Blas and Lagomar schools; and moderated the conversation. Sara Sánchez, Project Manager of the Bertelsmann Foundation.

The event was closed by Clara Bassols, director of the Bertelsmann Foundation, and Beatriz Morilla, director of Empieza Por Educar.

Trends

The report How youth explore, experience and think about their future: A new look at effective career guidance from the OECD. reveals that orientation activities that allow students to come into contact with professionals and learn about real work environments have a great impact on the future development of their careers. This translates, among other things, into greater alignment between studies and career, personal and professional satisfaction, and higher salaries.

The Xcelence-Schools That Inspire project is based on the successful “Good Career Guidance” experience promoted by the Gatsby Foundation in England. The English Government adopted this model as an educational policy in 2018 and, since then, all English schools have a Careers Leader, who coordinates the school’s guidance strategy and establishes relationships with key agents in the environment to enhance students’ opportunities.

In line with these international trends, one of the pillars of the project Xcelence-Schools That InspireThe program, in which 120 centers in Madrid and Catalonia are currently participating, is to establish real and lasting links between the educational institutions and other key actors for guidance such as higher education institutions, companies, sector associations and public and social entities to generate experiences for their students.

 

> Did you miss the event? You can watch it again here: Connecting the educational and professional world through guidance – YouTube

 

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