28 Jan 2021

The "Ludwigsburg District Education Region" has been in existence for ten years - District Administrator Allgaier: "The idea that education can be successfully shaped together has convinced me from the very beginning

The Ludwigsburg district education region can now look back on its tenth anniversary. "Even as a district councillor, I was convinced from the outset by the idea that education can be successfully shaped together. I am delighted that we have now had our education region for ten years. With its numerous projects, it makes an important contribution to ensuring that young people in our district have very good educational opportunities. I would therefore like to thank everyone involved, the representatives on the committees, the educational institutions, the volunteers, the sponsors and all other cooperation partners who have made this possible through their excellent collaboration," says District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier.

A woman wearing a headset smiles while video chatting on her computer. The screen displays a girl, likely a student, also smiling. A banner in the background features the text "Bildungsregion Landkreis Ludwigsburg," indicating a focus on education and collaboration.

Michaela Lauster, AVdual mentor at Robert-Franck-Schule, working for the Ludwigsburg district education region.

In January 2011, everyone involved got straight to work with a lot of positive energy: the steering group, the working groups and the education office of the education region began their work. "The two topics 'transition from nursery to school' and 'school to work' were chosen as focal points, as successful educational transitions are important prerequisites for a successful educational biography for children and young people," reports Markus Schmitt, Head of the Education Office.

The stakeholders in the education region network meet regularly and exchange ideas. They identify and determine needs together, pool their knowledge and expertise and work together to develop and implement projects. Ten projects are currently being implemented. "The aim of the education region is for the offers to benefit as many towns and communities as possible and to reach young people directly," says Schmitt.

In addition to a well-functioning network, the commitment of almost 200 volunteers is central to the successful work of the education region. For example, 40 intercultural language and cultural mediators, most of whom have foreign roots, currently interpret conversations in 24 languages for daycare centers, schools and the youth welfare office. In the "Language support mentors at elementary school" project, which is implemented together with the state education authority, around 100 volunteers support teachers in teaching the German language.

"During the coronavirus pandemic, the use of language mentors is also making a significant contribution to educational equality for children who have not yet fully mastered the German language and rarely have the opportunity to practise outside of school," reports Dorothea Moll, head of the "Primary School Language Support Project Office".

The Kreissparkasse Foundation is also very interested in the subject of language promotion. It has been supporting language development at elementary school and daycare centers in the district for many years. In total, the education region has already acquired well over one million euros in third-party funding in the ten years of its existence.

The user-friendly internet platform www.wegweiser-beruf.de is a digital service that can also be used to reach pupils during the coronavirus crisis. "There, young people can quickly get an overview of the 200 offers and events in the district on the topics of leaving school, choosing a career and starting a career. Teachers, advisors and parents also use it to provide young people with comprehensive advice," reports Beate Jacobsen, who set up and manages the platform.

Since 2017, there has been a new major focus in the education region: the state program "Model project for redesigning the transition from school to work in Baden-Württemberg". The central element is the practice-oriented "dual training preparation" (AVdual) course at vocational schools. AVdual mentors (job coaches) provide young people with intensive support and guidance on the topics of job applications, internships and apprenticeships. The first AVdual class started at the Robert-Franck-Schule in 2017 / 2018; there are now nine AVdual classes at four vocational schools in the district. The Carl Schaefer School will follow in September.

"AVdual is a real opportunity for young people who have had a difficult school career to still achieve a school-leaving certificate and find an apprenticeship," says Andrea Horlacher, AVdual team leader at the education office, who is delighted with the generous AVdual funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Further information on the education region can be found on the Internet at

www.bildungsregion-landkreis-ludwigsburg.de

www.firmensommer.de

www.wegweiser-beruf.de

The members of the education region steering group are

- Ludwigsburg Employment Agency

- Vocational schools

- Protestant Church

- IHK Stuttgart Region, Ludwigsburg District Chamber

- Catholic Church

- Municipalities

- District craftsmen's association