«Not every path is straight»
Mr Ruckstuhl, who is the Job Caddie free mentoring programme aimed at?
Our original target group was young people who had completed an apprenticeship but were still struggling to find their first permanent job. Many were confronted with this problem during the economic crisis from 2007 onwards. Today, it still affects a small proportion of our clients. We most frequently advise young people who want to get back on their feet and start a new apprenticeship after cancelling an apprenticeship contract.
A third group are young adults whose path deviates from the usual CV, for example because they have dropped out of training and "only" worked or arrived in the country later. Many realise in their mid-twenties that they lack a professional foundation and want to develop one.
How do you help young people?
In the initial interview, we get a picture of the young people and their situation, then we match them with a mentor who is a good fit based on their professional experience or personality. Together, the mentor and young person define the goals of the collaboration.
Most often, we advise young people who want to reconnect after cancelling an apprenticeship contract and start a new apprenticeship.
During the support phase, the focus is on career assessment and planning for the future, but we also provide help with writing letters of application, practising for job interviews or during the start-up phase in the new company.
However, we are not a career counselling centre. For us, the focus is less on the question of which profession might suit you - young people have to be able to narrow down their favourites - and more on finding a way into their dream job.
What requirements do volunteer mentors need to fulfil?
You need to be interested in young people and understand that not every path is straightforward. If someone has counselling experience, that's great, but not a prerequisite. We are looking for people who have both feet firmly on the career ladder, who know how to navigate the labour market and what is important in the application process. A mentoring programme usually lasts two to four months, with meetings lasting around two hours a week, although it can be a little longer at the beginning.
