Berlin has been an interesting place for me and I have learnt a lot about the German education system, their laws and different projects offered to help the disadvantaged and disabled young people and children. This includes knowing how school refusers are integrated into education and projects offered to activate young people and integrate them into the labour market and also the system of schooling and vocational training offered to young people with special needs and disabled people. The number of school refusers are high in Berlin, most young people don’t the have social skills to work and to learn, no motivation, no power to stay at work and everyone has to learn a skill in order to get into the 1st labour market. The education system provides support in prevocational and vocational training to engage young people and find them work placements as a route to get jobs in labour market, placements are done on a weekend.
Most disadvantaged young people come from dysfunctional families, projects at kids and co offers prevocational training for young people to get orientation and to decide which program to choose. The young people are happy and committed to their training, social workers work onsite to support young people and staff. The ratio of employee from other countries is low and there is a need to promote diversity in the workplace in terms of recruitment. My visit to Berlin has been a very nice experience, the atmosphere is calm, cost of living is cheap, the city is beautiful and the transportation network is good.
The skill exchange programme has given me a good experience of educational system outside England and has added to my professional and self-development, I had the opportunity to interact and discuss with young people and migrants from other countries, there is no permanent school exclusion in Germany. My positive experience will reflect on my personal and professional practice in the UK, it has increased my awareness of different models and ways, strategies of working with young people.
