Income, education, cultural background, refugee experience: At many schools, there are talented young people who come from less privileged families than others. They need more support on their educational path, but don't always get it.
Talent scouts from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia look after precisely such students. The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) is now also sending advisors to schools to help disadvantaged young people on their way to apprenticeships or studies.
For the first time, the HSNR has been included in the talent scouting program of the Ministry of Culture and Science. The approximately 505,000 euros in funding will be used to finance three positions. Starting November 1, the three talent scouts will provide individual counseling to selected high school students and work with them to develop visions for their future careers. They will work at vocational colleges, comprehensive schools and high schools in Krefeld, Mönchengladbach and Viersen.
The HSNR's talent scouting program supports talented students who also have to deal with social or structural challenges. Those who have good grades, are socially involved in clubs or, for example, help in the family with the care of a relative can be accepted into the program.
"The counseling happens on neutral ground. We take a close look at the needs and inclinations of the young people - and work with them to develop individual options for the time after graduation," emphasizes Désirée Krüger. She heads the Career Service at HSNR and advises, among others, students with doubts who are considering dropping out of their studies.
The scouts' advice is open-ended: the young people themselves decide whether a traditional university course, dual studies or vocational training is right for them. Depending on their needs, they may also receive support during their apprenticeship or studies.
Talent scouts create networks through contacts in cooperating companies and universities and open up paths to funding opportunities in the education system. Krüger is pleased that there will now also be such a service in the Lower Rhine region: "There is a great need in our region. Particularly in Mönchengladbach and Krefeld, child poverty is high, which unfortunately, statistically speaking, can also have an impact on the educational biographies of these children and young people."
To date, more than 35,000 talented young people have been sponsored through the NRW Talent Scouting program. The scouts are trained at the NRW Center for Talent Development in Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf. In the future, this center will also offer continuing training for lecturers, career counselors, apprentices and student teachers.
