Fuori Classe - The forth stop takes us to Berlin

"Ok guys, now take the glass, throw it into the air, and try to make it land upright. Ready? Go!"

Campus Efeuweg, a school complex on the far southern outskirts of Berlin. A bright spring morning, outdoors. Alexander, Ahmed, Demir, Asil, Lutio, Esna and Alejandro, aged 16, laugh and joke as they amuse themselves at a desk with a balancing game. It is not recess time.

This is the heart of a decidedly different morning for their class. Instead of their usual teachers, today there is an external trainer named Antonia at the board. The glass-flip is just one of the many creative games she proposes to the students.

Among the manual challenges to attempt in 60 seconds, there is also a string full of small knots to untangle; a sheet of paper to turn into a paper airplane capable of flying; two similar images in which to spot the differences. They test themselves using their eyes, hands, and fingers. But the real goal is to then reflect mentally on what they have — and haven’t — done.

“What activities are you best at, and which are harder for you? What are your strengths, and where do you feel you need to improve?” These are the key questions Antonia asks the students.

"Ok guys, now take the glass, throw it into the air, and try to make it land upright. Ready? Go!"

Campus Efeuweg, a school complex on the far southern outskirts of Berlin. A bright spring morning, outdoors. Alexander, Ahmed, Demir, Asil, Lutio, Esna and Alejandro, aged 16, laugh and joke as they amuse themselves at a desk with a balancing game. It is not recess time.

This is the heart of a decidedly different morning for their class. Instead of their usual teachers, today there is an external trainer named Antonia at the board. The glass-flip is just one of the many creative games she proposes to the students.

Among the manual challenges to attempt in 60 seconds, there is also a string full of small knots to untangle; a sheet of paper to turn into a paper airplane capable of flying; two similar images in which to spot the differences. They test themselves using their eyes, hands, and fingers. But the real goal is to then reflect mentally on what they have — and haven’t — done.

“What activities are you best at, and which are harder for you? What are your strengths, and where do you feel you need to improve?” These are the key questions Antonia asks the students.

The recipe for the ideal job

Antonia is one of the social workers at JOBLINGE, a nonprofit organization active in Germany since 2008 that fights youth unemployment by helping young people, starting from school age, to find their path in the world of work and pursue it.

The starting point is always the students’ exploration of themselves. In that school in Neukölln—one of Berlin’s most multicultural neighborhoods and among the poorest in Germany—Antonia has never been before. Yet the chemistry with the small Produktives Lernen class—a work-oriented upper secondary education program that alternates classroom lessons with various internships—is excellent from the very first minute.

Antonia has prepared a long series of quizzes and guided reflections to spark the students’ inner questions—even those they may never have asked themselves before. On the digital board, images of various objects and tools appear, and the students’ task is to say out loud which professions they might be used for. Then icons appear representing the different possible qualities of a job: good earnings, stimulating activities, social recognition, teamwork, contact with other people, and so on. What is really the secret to the “perfect” job?

The students speak up, discuss, and laugh. Then they become serious again, focusing on drawing their own personal recipe for a job that matches their aptitudes on an individual map. For some of those 16-year-olds, it is the first time they have asked themselves such long-term questions; for others, it is not. For all of them, the morning of exercises proves to be an excellent mental workout.

“Fantastic—we thought about issues we had never reflected on before,” the students tell us one after another when the workshop ends.

The recipe for the ideal job

Antonia is one of the social workers at JOBLINGE, a nonprofit organization active in Germany since 2008 that fights youth unemployment by helping young people, starting from school age, to find their path in the world of work and pursue it.

The starting point is always the students’ exploration of themselves. In that school in Neukölln—one of Berlin’s most multicultural neighborhoods and among the poorest in Germany—Antonia has never been before. Yet the chemistry with the small Produktives Lernen class—a work-oriented upper secondary education program that alternates classroom lessons with various internships—is excellent from the very first minute.

Antonia has prepared a long series of quizzes and guided reflections to spark the students’ inner questions—even those they may never have asked themselves before. On the digital board, images of various objects and tools appear, and the students’ task is to say out loud which professions they might be used for. Then icons appear representing the different possible qualities of a job: good earnings, stimulating activities, social recognition, teamwork, contact with other people, and so on. What is really the secret to the “perfect” job?

The students speak up, discuss, and laugh. Then they become serious again, focusing on drawing their own personal recipe for a job that matches their aptitudes on an individual map. For some of those 16-year-olds, it is the first time they have asked themselves such long-term questions; for others, it is not. For all of them, the morning of exercises proves to be an excellent mental workout.

“Fantastic—we thought about issues we had never reflected on before,” the students tell us one after another when the workshop ends.

Germany’s vulnerabilities and the school-to-work gap

What Antonia carried out at Campus Efeuweg is the first step in a path that JOBLINGE undertakes with high school students who take part, in order to try to get ahead of the less visible problems that affect German society and its economy.

"Too often in Germany, success depends on family background; perhaps not everyone knows that we are among the worst countries in the West for social mobility," explains Nora Ackermann, one of the program managers at JOBLINGE. According to OECD data, in fact, among families where parents do not have a higher education qualification, only one in five children obtains a university degree. And between 2019 and 2024, the share of young people who left school before completing upper secondary education rose from 13% to 15%.

As a result, the gap of inequality is widening, and it begins in adolescence. This is why starting at this stage—and preventing rather than treating—is the key. The German education system is already more oriented toward the world of work than that of many other European countries, with periods of internships or apprenticeships included in all educational tracks.

Yet this is not enough to ensure that labor supply and demand actually meet, especially in a time of crisis and profound transformation for the global economy and for the German model in particular. "Schools often have only superficial links with the world of work, and teachers themselves rarely know how a company functions. From our experience, we have learned that students need more internships to truly understand what they are suited for."

Germany’s vulnerabilities and the school-to-work gap

What Antonia carried out at Campus Efeuweg is the first step in a path that JOBLINGE undertakes with high school students who take part, in order to try to get ahead of the less visible problems that affect German society and its economy.

"Too often in Germany, success depends on family background; perhaps not everyone knows that we are among the worst countries in the West for social mobility," explains Nora Ackermann, one of the program managers at JOBLINGE. According to OECD data, in fact, among families where parents do not have a higher education qualification, only one in five children obtains a university degree. And between 2019 and 2024, the share of young people who left school before completing upper secondary education rose from 13% to 15%.

As a result, the gap of inequality is widening, and it begins in adolescence. This is why starting at this stage—and preventing rather than treating—is the key. The German education system is already more oriented toward the world of work than that of many other European countries, with periods of internships or apprenticeships included in all educational tracks.

Yet this is not enough to ensure that labor supply and demand actually meet, especially in a time of crisis and profound transformation for the global economy and for the German model in particular. "Schools often have only superficial links with the world of work, and teachers themselves rarely know how a company functions. From our experience, we have learned that students need more internships to truly understand what they are suited for."

Plan A, B and C

At the Willy-Brandt-Teamschule, another school on the opposite side of Berlin, we meet two girls who are at precisely this stage of the program.

They are about to finish high school, and after completing the “exploratory” phase with JOBLINGE, they are now preparing applications for their first real work experiences.

Ranem, 17, born in Germany to Lebanese parents, admits that before starting the program she had no idea how many applications needed to be sent to secure a position, or how to develop a successful strategy. Now she has a fairly clear vision of her future: “I see myself in a few years as an interior designer—designing rooms and furniture, advising clients and helping them feel comfortable. I feel I have a natural instinct for this,” she says with a smile.

Her preferred path is clear and well defined, but what is also remarkable for someone her age are the reflections that go along with it. “Personally, I already know what my plan is, but it’s always necessary to have a backup in case the first one doesn’t work. It’s a pity that there are other students who don’t really know what their plan A and plan B are.”

Ranem is also well aware that in the coming years the profession she dreams of—like many others—could change significantly due to the impact of artificial intelligence. “Of course, you’ll be able to send a request to an AI about where to place furniture and immediately get a ready-made design. But I still wouldn’t give up my plan, because I don’t think an AI can fully grasp what a person truly feels.”

Plan A, B and C

At the Willy-Brandt-Teamschule, another school on the opposite side of Berlin, we meet two girls who are at precisely this stage of the program.

They are about to finish high school, and after completing the “exploratory” phase with JOBLINGE, they are now preparing applications for their first real work experiences.

Ranem, 17, born in Germany to Lebanese parents, admits that before starting the program she had no idea how many applications needed to be sent to secure a position, or how to develop a successful strategy. Now she has a fairly clear vision of her future: “I see myself in a few years as an interior designer—designing rooms and furniture, advising clients and helping them feel comfortable. I feel I have a natural instinct for this,” she says with a smile.

Her preferred path is clear and well defined, but what is also remarkable for someone her age are the reflections that go along with it. “Personally, I already know what my plan is, but it’s always necessary to have a backup in case the first one doesn’t work. It’s a pity that there are other students who don’t really know what their plan A and plan B are.”

Ranem is also well aware that in the coming years the profession she dreams of—like many others—could change significantly due to the impact of artificial intelligence. “Of course, you’ll be able to send a request to an AI about where to place furniture and immediately get a ready-made design. But I still wouldn’t give up my plan, because I don’t think an AI can fully grasp what a person truly feels.”

How to make a difference with young people

In a world shaken by wars, political polarization, and rapid technological change, the reference points that young people gain from such a path are like handholds on a wall to climb.

The climb, then, is up to them.

“We can’t be with them all the time, but we are there when they need us—and they know it. This is the heart of our relationship,” Nora explains. To carry out its programs with schools and companies, JOBLINGE can also rely on the support of UniCredit Foundation, an organization committed across Europe to combating educational poverty and early school leaving by supporting associations working on the ground in different contexts.

“At the moment, in Berlin alone, we work with 800 students in ten different schools: in particular, we help 250 final-year high school students transition into the job market or higher education,” Nora adds. A monumental effort, but also work that brings deep satisfaction.

“One might think that success for us is when we know the students have found the position they were aiming for. But personally, the moments of satisfaction come even earlier,” Antonia explains after the morning with the Neukölln class. “When a student realizes there are things they didn’t know before and comes to us for help; when they see that there is someone who believes in them and knows there is someone who can guide them.”

“For almost all the students we worked with at the Willy-Brandt-Teamschule,” says her colleague Zoe from the other side of the city, “everything has changed significantly. They’ve gained so many new skills. They’ve become much more confident; they know exactly what they are doing at any given moment and what the next step is. With every small ability that is ‘unlocked’, a new positive pressure is created, a new sense of achievement. And we see it every day.”

How to make a difference with young people

In a world shaken by wars, political polarization, and rapid technological change, the reference points that young people gain from such a path are like handholds on a wall to climb.

The climb, then, is up to them.

“We can’t be with them all the time, but we are there when they need us—and they know it. This is the heart of our relationship,” Nora explains. To carry out its programs with schools and companies, JOBLINGE can also rely on the support of UniCredit Foundation, an organization committed across Europe to combating educational poverty and early school leaving by supporting associations working on the ground in different contexts.

“At the moment, in Berlin alone, we work with 800 students in ten different schools: in particular, we help 250 final-year high school students transition into the job market or higher education,” Nora adds. A monumental effort, but also work that brings deep satisfaction.

“One might think that success for us is when we know the students have found the position they were aiming for. But personally, the moments of satisfaction come even earlier,” Antonia explains after the morning with the Neukölln class. “When a student realizes there are things they didn’t know before and comes to us for help; when they see that there is someone who believes in them and knows there is someone who can guide them.”

“For almost all the students we worked with at the Willy-Brandt-Teamschule,” says her colleague Zoe from the other side of the city, “everything has changed significantly. They’ve gained so many new skills. They’ve become much more confident; they know exactly what they are doing at any given moment and what the next step is. With every small ability that is ‘unlocked’, a new positive pressure is created, a new sense of achievement. And we see it every day.”

From the classroom to the workplace: the JOBLINGE program put to the test

One person who has made the most of the JOBLINGE program—and now experiences its benefits every day—is Juan, a 17-year-old who was born in Venezuela and moved to Germany with his parents when he was 13.

“When I heard at school that there were people who could help guide us about the future, I thought: why not? Well, it was impressive. They clarified my ideas about the different possible paths in the medical field, and they really helped me prepare for interviews and write application letters, which I had absolutely no idea how to start.”

After considering all the possible options, Juan tells us that to decide what to do after high school, he first looked within himself. He realized that he is a practical person who likes to experiment, to “get his hands dirty.” So he decided to immediately test himself with a concrete work experience in healthcare: he started a nursing apprenticeship at a hospital in western Berlin.

He is thrilled about what he now has the opportunity to do, despite the effort—including waking up before 5 a.m. every day. “We alternate theory and practice, and already in the first year it’s incredible what they allow us to do, working with patients, even in emergency situations.” For him, this is clear proof that he is on the right path.

After completing his apprenticeship, he plans to enroll in medical school, perhaps to become a surgeon one day. There is still a lot to learn, but the path ahead in both life and career already appears clear and bright.

“If I had to give advice to 14- or 15-year-olds who feel confused or maybe stay out late at night while I’m already on my way to work? I’d tell them not to be afraid to ask for help—from JOBLINGE or others. In life, you don’t have to do everything on your own.”