To bring the professional world closer to students in Spain, one part of the Empresas que Inspiran platform creates a "match" between a company and school, thus facilitating the organisation of workplace visits, career talks in schools and job shadowing experiences. The other section of the platform is a compilation of career guidance materials, including +100 videos of professionals and labour sectors for any teacher to use. These actions are designed to help reduce early school dropout rates, as they awaken vocations and interests, inspire and broaden professional aspirations, allow experimentation in professional environments, dismantle stereotypes and contribute to a better understanding of the world of work.
Empresas que Inspiran (Inspiring Companies): Connecting schools to companies and professionals
Abstract
Resource overview
Website: Empresas que Inspiran
Students register Through the Empresas que Inspiran website, the Careers Leader (CEAP, acronym in Spanish) is able to access different career guidance activities proposed by companies and professionals. There are two different registration processes: one for schools and one for companies. To start the “matching” process, firstly, companies publish activities (visits, talks or job shadowing experiences). The CEAP logs into their account and uses the search engine (including filters and a map) to select up to 5 activities using the "I'm interested" button. Companies receive these applications and decide to approve or reject them. When a company accepts the application, the CEAP of the school can see the contact details of the company's volunteer and contacts them to define the final details of the activity.
In the case of videos and career guidance resources, they are freely accessible and available to any user without login: https://www.empresasqueinspiran.es/videos-para-descubrir-el-mundo-profesional/. There are two types of 10 minute videos. 1. Videos of professionals, in which experts of different fields narrate their academic and professional journey, giving special attention to their decision-making processes at different moments of their life. 2. Videos of certain employment sectors related to technology, in which the field that is presented is shown by a youtube influencer. They are carried out thanks to the collaboration between companies and professionals to complement the face-to-face career guidance activities. They are also a very useful resource for linking subjects with the professional context. To facilitate this task for teachers, there are filters that allow them to select areas of interest and a learning guide with recommended activities can be downloaded from the same website. In addition, there are webinars, interviews and other materials available for schools and company volunteers, in order to complement their information about effective career guidance to know how to communicate effectively with young people.
Description of technology
The platform operates as a marketplace in which companies offer activities, and schools are able to navigate through them and select the ones they are interested in. It uses the Content Management System Wordpress and it is planned that it will incorporate Artificial Intelligence to facilitate the match between schools and companies.
How the resource makes career guidance more effective, efficient and/or equitable for students
This project aims to increase student motivation and reduce early school leaving. This in turn contributes to reducing the skills mismatch that companies face when recruiting new employees. Educational guidance at secondary school level has to face these challenges with few resources, so Empresas que Inspiran tries to fill the gap in an area that schools struggle to access: the connection to the work environment through the development of new skills. Experiential learning is a great incentive for students, as it allows them to see beyond the boundaries of their own context. Particularly for socially disadvantaged learners or those at risk of school failure, participating in activities connected to the world of work can make them reconsider the value of education in order to have a job that matches their interests and abilities and that has decent conditions. Bringing labour market information to all types of learners is a way of ensuring equity.
Challenges or potential barriers to use
The platform is designed for the educational context of secondary schools in Spain. It is conceived in local areas where there is an active ecosystem of companies that coexist in the same context with schools. The user is required an A1 level of digital competence (according to the EU Digital Competence Framework for Educators). It’s not available internationally, but it could be replicated in similar contexts.
The resource is free of charge.
Support for users
Users don’t need any support to use the platform, though there are ways to contact the developers if there is any incident.
Further advice for users
This platform is a supplementary resource that can be useful for schools to achieve the benchmarks 7, 8 and 9 of the Xcelence framework: meeting with alumni and professionals, experience in workplaces and using information of the labour market.
Additional details
This resource has been endorsed by IES La Serna school in Madrid, Spain.
Disclaimer: This content is provided by the submitting organisation.
