Berufsvorbereitung durch Career Services im Rahmen der universitären Ausbildung

Abstract

The main subject of this dissertation is to outline the development of career service institutions at German universities from their conceptional beginning until their final foundation. This presumes to trace back the traditional lines of career service centres in Great Britain and the U.S., because German scientific communities especially take the career counselling in Anglo-American countries as a model - a fact, which is going to have an important influence in the conceptional considerations made in this dissertation. Later on it will be pointed out that the British and American conceptions of working life cannot easily be transfered to German working conditions because of the immense differences in social and education policy and in the structural conditions, which are predominant in these countries. Additionally, the conception for the development of career service institutions at German universities requires a profound modification according to the special standards of the German system of higher education, which actually is highly influenced by many reforms concerning the different curriculi. Taking the exceptional relationship between the German system of higher education and the German employment system in its historical development into consideration, the special standards of the system of higher education at German universities are of consequence as well. Therefore, the general framework of federal and provincal law has to be examined more closely. In consideration of legal regulations of career and job counselling as well as of the exchange of employment it is indispensible to define the role / position of the German federal labour office (Bundesanstalt für Arbeit) in contrast to the specific working conditions at German universities in relation to the work of career service centres. Finally, the aim of this dissertation is to find out the reason, why career service centres at German universities have been established during the last two centuries. On top of this question the process of institutionalization and professionalization in German career and job counselling should be exemplified by different career service models of selected German universities. Connected to these models the main purpose is to examine the history of origins, the personnel and financial situations as well as the organisational structures, the different ways of co-operation and the contextual orientation of the career service centres by expert interviews. As a result a first survey will be presented at the end of this dissertation, despite of the dynamic development of the examined career service centres. In connection to didactial considerations concerning a more practical approach of career and job councelling during the process of higher education, innovative deliberations of alternative expert services should be outlined within the scope of consisting institutionalized relationships. Additionally, the integrative and academical approach to orientate on practical experience is placed in opposition to the process of designing an independent institution on a centralized level. According to these two approachees two ideal working models for a better orientation concerning practical experiences and vocational preparation at German universities will be outlined.