«Despite coronavirus, there are still more apprenticeships than apprenticeship seekers»

Mr Spöring, how have career choices and the search for apprenticeships changed during the pandemic?

Information procurement has become more digital. Of course, many meetings had to take place online during the lockdown, which, as we know, has quickly become established throughout the working world.

Has it become more difficult to find an apprenticeship?

Obtaining information on the Internet requires certain skills. You have to know how to search and what you can find where. Fortunately, most young people are supported in this process, for example by their school and the careers information centres. We have also created low-threshold offers that did not exist before: for example, the Zebi careers fair in Lucerne was held digitally in spring, and we also launched online apprenticeship exchanges in May and June. Here, apprenticeship seekers and training companies were able to meet for a 15-minute online interview. This way, young people were even relieved of the first phone call, which is a hurdle for some.

What changes have there been in career counselling?

For a while, we also had to conduct the interviews online. This gave us the opportunity to support young people more closely in the career choice process, as we were able to hold a weekly online interview with them, for example. We would like to keep this up: a face-to-face interview at the right time with a comprehensive overview, followed by digital follow-up meetings. In the past, we had one long interview with many jobseekers and then never saw them again.

Certain sectors are in crisis and many companies have had to close. Are there still enough apprenticeships?

There are more apprenticeships than apprenticeship seekers, and the coronavirus has not changed that. The baby boomers are retiring and companies and industries need new talent. The catering and hotel industries still have to recruit a large proportion of their staff from abroad. Even in normal times, training companies close down. As a rule, we quickly find a new company for the apprentices.

Should young people choose a profession of the future? Or should they continue to choose the one that interests them the most?

Interest is always the top priority. Thanks to the permeable education system, later changes are always possible. Interestingly, students' preferences have remained stable for years. We are trying to push the IT professions, where the bottleneck is the limited number of apprenticeships. Interest in the healthcare professions is growing steadily. Once again, there are more apprenticeships than school leavers. They are therefore in a good position.

Read more about choosing a career:

• Step 1: Get to know your own interests and strengths
  Before young people can decide what training they want to pursue after secondary school, they need to answer a few basic questions about themselves. Not an easy task in the middle of puberty, which is already full of questions.
• Step 2: Get to know professions and training programmes
  Into an apprenticeship or continue at school? Many people ask themselves this question in upper secondary school. But the two paths are not mutually exclusive. An overview of the most important educational programmes.
• Step 3: Compare your own strengths with the requirements of professions and training programmes
  Every apprenticeship and every school has its own specific requirements. For young job seekers, this means that they should either work intensively on their skills or look for a less demanding apprenticeship.
• Step 4: Get to know interesting professions in a taster apprenticeship
  A taster apprenticeship, also known as a career choice internship, gives you a first impression of working life, a profession and the atmosphere in a potential training company. It is something like the ultimate reality check for young apprenticeship seekers.
• Step 5: Review possible professions and training courses and make a decision
  Careers counsellor Sigrid Weber knows the agony of choosing a career that many young people go through. Favourite subjects and hobbies are initial pointers to the right apprenticeship, a lot can be learned in trial apprenticeships - and sometimes even a coin toss helps, says the psychologist. When making a decision, however, the feeling has to be right above all.
• Step 6: Look for an apprenticeship or register with a school
  Once you have chosen the right profession, it's time to look for a suitable training organisation. Large or small, informal or formal, hierarchical or collegial? The more different types you get to know through taster sessions, the better you will know what suits you.
• Step 7: Prepare for an apprenticeship or school or clarify bridging programmes
  The tenth school year is seen as an emergency solution for those who have not found an apprenticeship. In reality, it is a useful educational programme to close gaps in schooling and other gaps or to help you make a decision about your career choice. Other bridging programmes help to gain valuable knowledge and set the course.