Table 1
Different work experience opportunities in NRW.
| WORK EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES | GRADE | DURATION | AIM/MATTER | FURTHER INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-day insight days (Berufsfelderkun-dung) | Eighth grade | One-day insight days in different occupational fields | Students test their skills and interests in different companies. This gives them the opportunity to get to know three different occupational fields in a very short time (e.g. crafts, kindergarten and administration). | As a rule, students at special needs schools go through the offers at external vocational training facilities. This is organised with the support of an employment agency. The personnel of the external vocational training facility give the students a one-day insight into a protected area for isolated training. A total of €50.00 per student per day is budgeted. |
| Internship (Schülerbetriebs- praktikum) | Ninth or tenth grade | Two to three weeks | The one-day insight days are followed by the internship. Students can deepen their practical work experience and test their own skills. | In NRW, students in secondary school must complete at least one student work experience assignment in a company. As a rule, students must find their work experience places on their own. |
| Longer-term work placement (Langzeit-praktikum) | Ninth and tenth grade | One day a week for one school year | This offer is for students with support needs at the transition to vocational training. They gain intensive vocational experience in a company, so that the motivation for an apprenticeship increases and chances of finding an apprenticeship at the end of school are improved. | This offer can be offered voluntarily by schools and used by students. It is also important that the achievement of Hauptschulabschluss is ensured. This is the first school leaving certificate, obtained after nine years, corresponds as a basic qualification to a “lower secondary education.” |
[i] Note. Table 1, oriented to Table 1 Hübner, 2023, p. 4; Eurydice, 2025; MAGS, 2020.
Table 2
Excerpt from the coding guideline.
| CATEGORY | DEFINITION | RULE |
|---|---|---|
| Process of verifying and falsifying professional ideas (PVF) | Work experience opportunities serve as reason for further decisions regarding vocational orientation | Decisions and patterns of reasoning regarding vocational orientation after internship experiences are described comprehensibly. Decision regarding: - further internships - vocational orientation in other professions/occupational fields - school-leaving certificate - trainings - generally, further educational pathways Experience can also lead to the exclusion of a profession or occupational field. If P justify and report that an internship experience and related requirements/working conditions were experienced positively and, as a result, the career path was pursued in this direction (verify). If P justify and report that an internship experience and the related requirements/working conditions were experienced negatively and, therefore, the decision led to a different career choice (falsification of the original idea). Is not coded if it concerns the specific or fundamental interest in the world of work and labour. Is not coded if no reasons and argumentation patterns can be recognised. |
| Comparison of different work experience opportunities regarding the duration (CD) | The subjective experiences that the students associate with the different internships regarding the length or duration of the different work experience opportunities (evoke and justify comparison) | Is coded if the length of the internship has led to a more intensive or extensive professional experience. If the work experience opportunities are compared directly with each other. When the advantages and disadvantages of the work experience opportunities are weighed against each other in terms of duration. If some options are considered (comparatively) more sensible than others due to the duration and organisation. Is not coded if only one work experience opportunity is described. Is not coded if only a list of work experience opportunities is given, without mentioning advantages or disadvantages for vocational orientation (if applicable, category general importance). |