Lower Saxony reforms professional orientation: Clear the way for the future!

Lower Saxony reforms professional orientation: Clear the way for the future!

Something is happening in the field of career orientation in Lower Saxony: the revised decree, which is now coming into force, promises a breath of fresh air in schools. Education Minister Julia Willie Hamburg presented the key points in May and thanked the over 4,000 people involved - from teachers to companies to students - for their valuable contributions to the redesign of the concept. The decree will be published by the beginning of November and made available to schools in order to specifically prepare students for their professional future. bildungsklick.de reports that the goal is clear: at the end of their schooling, young people should be able to make independent decisions about their future path.

It is particularly important to strengthen vocational orientation at all types of schools, particularly high schools. From August 1, 2026, students at a vocational high school must complete an internship. But that's not all: internships in lower secondary education are being made more flexible in terms of duration and choice of facilities. This makes it possible for internships to take place as early as grade 8, where students gain their first experience in the world of work. The cooperation between general and vocational schools should also be intensified through school networks.

Opportunities for everyone without clichés

Another important aspect of the new decree is the targeted fight against gender stereotypes in career choice. The Future Day, also known as Girls and Boys Day, is “sharpened” in order to specifically focus on stereotype-based professions. The “Cliché-Free Makes School” initiative offers a comprehensive set of methods that was designed specifically for students in grade 5 and above. This material, which can be downloaded free of charge, contains 12 ideas for teaching and methods for working with parents nibis.de.

The need to overcome stereotypical role models is also emphasized by the Education and Science Union (GEW). Ralf Becker, an expert in vocational training, emphasizes that data from the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB) shows how strongly gender stereotypes are anchored in career choice. In 2023, girls often chose careers such as office management, while boys tended towards technical careers such as automotive mechatronics. The proportion of women in these professions is shockingly low at just 6.6 percent, which makes it clear that there is a need for action here gew.de.

Overall, the new decree in Lower Saxony offers a promising basis for supporting students in their career orientation in a variety of ways. The approach of introducing flexible internships and actively addressing gender stereotypes are steps in the right direction. We can only hope that this change will be accepted by schools and the associated actors so that every child has the chance to find their own dream job - without any clichés.