Transitioning from school to work

Encouraging social change for a sustainable society

Business and economics determine our lives. Whether dealing with globalization, retirement choices, career planning, EU expansion or Hartz IV, a knowledge of economic fundamentals is necessary in order to formulate an opinion or make the correct choice. To that extent, an understanding of economics and business concepts cannot be reserved for experts alone. Instead, they must become part of the general knowledge imparted in schools and in other subsequent venues as part of lifelong learning. Such an ability to deal with economic topics is critical if Germany and Europe are to be home to citizens who are capable of making informed decisions when confronted with complex, business-related issues.

Schools are the key venue for ensuring that comprehensive knowledge of business and economics is available to all. Schools are the place where young people are exposed to the information that will allow them to deal with today's intricate economic realities. To help students come to terms with these realities and make the transition from school to the working world, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is focusing on two areas:

• Improving the unsatisfactory level of understanding among the general population-especially among school students-about topics related to business and economics. The project "Ökonomische Bildung online"(Economic Education online, see link), an Internet-based continuing education program in business and economics designed especially for teachers, is geared to redressing this shortcoming.
• Preparing students for professional life by providing them with theoretical and practical resources for choosing a career. The "Netzwerk Berufswahl-SIEGEL" (Network for Career Advising Seal of Approval) project is thus designed to recognize those schools that offer their students exemplary career advising services.