Styrian institutions join forces to guide young people into careers

A cooperation between the Styrian Economic Chamber, the Chamber of Labour and the Austrian Public Employment Service is expanding career guidance for young people, ORF reports. The aim is to help them find professions in which they want to remain. Around 56,000 children and young people have already taken part in the Talent Checks.

The Talentcenter at the Styrian Economic Chamber has been operating for 10 years. The cooperation with the Chamber of Labour and the Austrian Public Employment Service has now been strengthened so that the assessments can lead more effectively to suitable careers.

Workshops and discussions with young people will take place before and after the Talent Check. Chamber of Labour President Josef Pesserl said personal counselling was particularly important because the process involved self-perception, how others perceived the young people and an outside perspective provided by trained education counsellors.

The Austrian Public Employment Service is also now permanently involved in the counselling. Yvonne Popper-Pieber said it would provide individual career and education advice to young people, teachers and schools after the Talent Check. The counselling will take place either at schools or in person at employment service offices.

The Talent Test is developed and continuously updated in cooperation with the University of Graz. University rector Peter Riedler said the project demonstrated the close links between different professional fields, academic institutions and companies, and their importance to the development of the region as a centre for science and business.