Problem addressed

The world of work and the labour market are undergoing profound change due to increasing technologization and digitalization - traditional training paths are disappearing or changing, while new or modified job profiles with new skills requirements are constantly emerging. This also presents the Bavarian education system with the major challenge of preparing all young people to successfully navigate an increasingly complex and unpredictable (professional) future and to find their way through the wide range of training and career opportunities. Modern STEM education, which combines specialist skills with overarching future skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and learning skills or the ability to collaborate, is a crucial cornerstone for future and labor market viability. STEM professions continue to offer very good labor market prospects and career opportunities for individuals. In terms of society as a whole, however, a sufficient pool of STEM specialists is the key driver of innovation and crisis resilience in Bavaria - especially in the face of critical challenges such as decarbonization & climate protection or the further development of digitalization1. 

Due to the actuality of the subject described above, the number of different STEM offerings for children and young people has been increasing significantly for some time. As a result, the so-called “STEM learning ecosystem” (= the sum of learning and experience opportunities through school, extracurricular activities, career guidance services, the Internet, museums, internships, family support, etc.)2 in which every student moves is becoming increasingly diverse. Nevertheless, numerous studies show a clear need for action and needs among children and young people in the areas of STEM skills development and career orientation:

- The new STEM-influenced world of work and the associated attractive and future-oriented professions and developments have not yet been sufficiently understood by pupils; their career ideas therefore often do not meet the requirements of the labor market3
- Many students do not feel sufficiently informed about the prospects and career opportunities of STEM subjects4 or are overwhelmed by the variety of career information available5
- Socially and educationally disadvantaged pupils in particular often completely lack realistic, sustainable career prospects, which has a negative impact on their academic performance6 or focus on careers that are subject to a high risk of automation or are below their talents3
- Girls often develop inadequate and clichéd ideas about STEM careers as early as primary school age and therefore often do not include them in their later career choices7; they also feel less competent in STEM than they actually are8
- Science skills among primary school pupils are below the OECD average9, young people show declining STEM skills and a third are considered underperforming in terms of digital skills8

What is particularly striking is the problematic lack of orientation with regard to their own professional future, which is increasingly prevalent among the educationally disadvantaged. Recent long-term studies provide clear recommendations on what adolescents need in order to develop prospects, have an easier transition into the (STEM) job market and have better chances of employment, better salaries and greater satisfaction in later working life6,10. All children and young people must have the opportunity as early and often as possible along the entire education chain

- to test and expand their own STEM and future skills through educational methods that are tailored to the target group and generate interest (such as inquiry-based learning, project-based learning) 
- experience the changing world of work with its new, attractive working methods and job profiles in a stereotype-free and authentic way in order to broaden their professional horizons and develop future-proof, realistic prospects adapted to the labor market; this is achieved in particular through real contact with people from different professions and by carrying out activities from the real world of work.
- successfully orient themselves in view of the information and offers, recognize what is important for them personally and identify their own goals and opportunities for action. This creates motivation and is the basis for being able to make decisions. Methodologically, it is advisable to teach strategies of systems thinking that strengthen pupils' ability to solve complex problems and make sustainable decisions11. They enable students to think more independently, critically and networked about how they can participate in the (STEM) world of work with their skills and interests.  

In order to drive forward a social transformation in a timely manner that prevents inequalities from being reinforced, there is an urgent need for innovative and equitable systems that enable all students, regardless of origin, gender, demographic circumstances or school/school type attended, to explore their personal professional future in an authentic and inspiring way and to be able to reflect on it at an individual level. This applies in particular to STEM professions3. 
Methodologically, the potential of digitalization must be used for this purpose, which offers opportunities with regard to greater equity in education, e.g. because it enables students to come into contact with the world of work regardless of their location or offers motivating learning opportunities. It also improves the education sector's ability to react and act in times of crisis12.

Sources:

1 MINT Herbstreport 2022 – MINT sichert Zukunft, Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, Köln, 2022

2 What is a stem learning ecosystem, Center for advancement of informal science education, 2018

3 Dream Jobs: Teenager’s career aspirations and the future of work, OECD 2020

4 Women in Tech Report, PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, 2018

5 Berufliche Orientierung im dritten Corona-Jahr, Bertelsmann-Stiftung, 2022

6 Indicators of teenage career readiness: guidance for policy makers, OECD Education Policy Perspectives, NO 43, 2021

7 Berufliche Orientierung von Kindern im Grundschulalter. Analyse von ausgewählten Projekten, Unterrichtsmaterialien und Lehrplänen, Baumgardt, Schneider Verlag Hohengehren, 2021 

8 MINT-Nachwuchsbarometer 2020, acatech, IPN & Körber-Stiftung, 2020

9 MINT-Nachwuchsbarometer 2021, acatech, IPN & Körber-Stiftung, 2020

10 Investing in career guidance, OECD, 2019 

11 Systemdenken fördern. Systemtraining und Unterrichtsreihen zum vernetzten Denken, Bern. Bollmann-Zuberbühler, B., Frischknecht-Tobler, U., Kunz, P., Nagel, U., Hamiti, S. (2010)

12 Bildung in Deutschland kompakt 2022, Kultusministerkonferenz, BMBF, wbv 

Innovative solution

In a new, innovative project in Bavaria, the IJF would like to develop, establish, test and disseminate such a system for the broad-based promotion of STEM skills and interests among pupils along the education chain. The IJF acts as an agile, external education provider in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs in regular lessons and thus reaches not only pupils interested in STEM, but also a large number of those for whom one or more of the aforementioned needs have not yet been (sufficiently) met. The project and its methodology offer these pupils in particular individual access to the recommended stereotype-free and equal-opportunity STEM education and support for an easier transition into a sustainable job market:

1. directly via qualification modules for pupils
2. indirectly by qualifying teachers as multipliers. 

In practice, we interlink the three currently recommended educational components mentioned above (exploring STEM skills - understanding the changing world of work - recognizing systemic connections) in a novel, unique approach to create an effective overall educational concept that all participants go through. The educational objectives are taught in a combination of three different modules with the help of the potential of digitalization and a network of partners consisting of the Federal Employment Agency, companies and IJF.

Key results and benefits

Long-term effects: 
Pupils throughout Bavaria
- have a deeper interest in or curiosity about STEM and related work topics and methods of the future 
- have improved career orientation with regard to STEM professions and make more informed career choices
- have a less clichéd and inadequate idea of the STEM working world 
- are more motivated to study for school, obtain a qualifying school-leaving certificate and enter a future-oriented STEM profession 
- have improved labor market readiness
- are more successful in transitions: from primary to secondary school or from school to work and have better chances of participating in the labor market

At a societal level, this contributes to securing the next generation of skilled workers in the long term and thus to maintaining Bavaria's innovative strength and reducing social inequality.

Potential for mainstreaming

The project described here can be adapted to other year groups. For example, the 5th grade at all Bavarian school types is considered a joint class in which - particularly low-performing - pupils should be supported in achieving the desired transition. Strengthening STEM and key skills at this point and developing prospects is an important basis for successful transitions. 
In principle, the project can also be transferred to orientation classes at vocational schools or youth welfare institutions.
The project is testing innovative modules that can intensify the impact of existing STEM projects on the target group. In a second step, these modules will be disseminated to other providers from the STEM learning ecosystem.  
If the evaluation is successful, the tested project concept will be presented to the State Institute for School Quality and Educational Research (ISB), a partner of the IJF. This may result in suggestions for adjustments to the curricula. Vocational orientation is currently being given a new focus in Bavarian grammar schools - successful model examples and educational concepts with a role model function are therefore currently of great importance. 
The project content can be rolled out further across Bavaria's extensive school landscape via follow-up projects.   

Elementary school are addressed in the proposed project as a pilot project on a smaller scale. After testing, evaluating and optimizing the concept, the project should be rolled out on a much larger scale with both primary school pupils and primary school teachers. Strengthening STEM skills at an early stage and opening up the range of career choices is of pioneering importance with regard to the issue of transition.
Long-term cooperation with the Professional School of Education at the University of Würzburg means that the educational content can be incorporated into teacher training in the long term and thus achieve a strong multiplier effect. The training courses can be extended to other universities in Bavaria.