Bridging failed - funding centers in the district of Munich are hanging in the air

Created: 09/30/2022, 13:30

By: Charlotte Borst

Help with starting a career: The Free State had initially stopped the professional support program.

© Jonas Güttler/dpa

Career start support has been running as a funding measure for decades and enjoys a good reputation in the district.

But there is a funding gap.

District

- In June, many middle schools breathed a sigh of relief: After protests from parents, the Free State again assured career entry support.

However, funding will not continue until March 2023.

Until then, there will be a six-month gap from the start of school in September, which the district will not be able to close so quickly.

Support for young people is very valuable

The employees at the 13 middle schools and at the two special educational support centers in the district are hanging in the air.

Until now, Alexandra Perecsenyi has been taking care of the eighth and ninth graders at the Garching Middle School.

The career entry guide supports young people who do not speak German very well or who receive little support from their parents in choosing a career and helps them individually to write applications and find an internship or apprenticeship.

complaints in schools

Career start support has been running as a funding measure throughout Bavaria for decades and enjoys a very good reputation in the district.

When the majority of the state parliament wanted to say goodbye to the measure in April, protests arose.

The FDP, Greens, SPD and ÖDP also successfully submitted an application in the district council: the district developed a bridging model on how to seamlessly ensure career entry support for 90 schoolchildren.

It would have been about 165,000 euros.

But then they waited over the summer to see whether the Free State would be ready to start the school as a project sponsor.

That was not the case.

Instead, one hears complaints from the schools: The program has been suspended, employees are hanging in the air.

No "Token of Appreciation"

Markus Büchler (Greens) asked the district committee how the bridge model looks now, and Claudia Köhler (Greens) brought up the funding gap in the district council: “That’s a lost half a year for the students.

The employees at the schools will be put into other measures, some will migrate and we will be missing in March.

It's not exactly a sign of appreciation."

But it was too late for a separate tender, replied Martina Neubauer from the district administration.

This would overlap with the tender of the Free State.

The school authority is now looking for a solution so that eighth graders can have at least a few days of workshop experience, for example in the Heiner-Janik-Haus in Oberschleißheim or in the job workshop in Oberhaching.