The Steinmühle was the first high school in Marburg to host the so-called “Future Day.” The goal of the organizer, the “Initiative for Economic Education for Youth” from Kassel, is to teach high school students skills related to finance, housing, taxes, and health insurance.

These four areas are not covered in depth in secondary school curricula—much to the chagrin of many students, who, while they leave school with a strong academic foundation, are unfamiliar with rental agreements or financial investments. The Kassel Initiative, a nonprofit organization whose members themselves have not been out of school for very long, addresses this very issue. Since January 2019, these young people have held their “Future Day” event dozens of times at various schools throughout Germany. Ever since the Handelsblatt reported on it, the event has practically become a runaway success.

 

Speakers from the region

In all cases, experts from the region provide information on finance, housing, taxes, and health insurance. The speakers are hired by the association and are required to refrain from promoting their employers. To ensure this, the association works with the respective experts in advance to develop the content.

At the Steinmühle, representatives from a financial institution, a real estate agency, a health insurance company, and a tax advisor spoke. After the event, feedback forms were distributed to the student body. They provided an overview of the areas that the experts had explained particularly well.

 

The initiative comes from Kassel

Ben Göbel is an economics student in Kassel and organized the Future Day event at the Steinmühle together with Anna Proetel. She studies sociology and political science and, like Ben, is a member of the organizing association. Together with six other colleagues and a network of volunteers, they work on a volunteer basis; they were initially in Marburg and, shortly thereafter, practically simultaneously in Munich, Berlin, and Giessen. The organization and logistics are financially supported by foundations. The Hessian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs is also among the sponsors. It views the initiative not as competition for schools, but as a complement to them.

Medicine, psychology, law enforcement, the German Armed Forces, and pilot training were the most popular disciplines and career fields at this year’s Career Information Day at Steinmühle, which was organized—as always—in collaboration with the Rotary Club Marburg-Schloss.

“We’ve been hosting this information event with the Steinmühle for over 15 years now,” said Hans-Heinrich Bähr with enthusiasm. He is in charge of Vocational Service for the Rotarians. He sees it as his mission to support young people in their search for a suitable career by providing them with data, facts, and personal advice. “People who are experienced in these professions are just the right people for this.” The fact that Steinmühle shares this same goal makes the collaboration a perfect fit. Dr. Claudia Röder was responsible for organizing the event for the first time. She recently became the coordinator of school internships. She views the Career Information Day as an integral part of career guidance. “Deciding on a future career or course of study has become more difficult. The Career Information Day is intended to help all students find their way,” said Principal Bernd Holly in his opening remarks.

It’s no coincidence that the motto of this event, organized throughout Hesse, is “Students Ask—Professionals Answer.” At the Steinmühle Forum, representatives from a wide variety of fields sat at tables ready to help 12th-grade students with their career choices. Many preconceptions about working conditions were dispelled or confirmed; earning potential was explored, and entry requirements were examined. The discussion also touched on job satisfaction in certain professions after working in them for an extended period, coping with routine, and the potential for enjoyment. “Did you sometimes have to write about things you found distasteful?” the journalist was asked, for example.

 

Three Q&A sessions

The students could choose three professions for a roundtable discussion with experts. In a session with a maximum of eight classmates, the students had 20 minutes to ask the expert questions. This was followed by two more sessions, each with a different professional.

In addition to the professions already mentioned, the following fields were represented at the event at the Steinmühle: law, architecture, dentistry, tax consulting/auditing, civil engineering, human resources, IT, finance (savings banks/banks), the German Red Cross (DRK) Nurses’ Association, the International Business School, physics, mechanical engineering, economics, business administration, politics, and business.

As part of the math class for 7c, the topic of “interest calculations” was covered over the past few weeks. In this context, the students had many follow-up questions:

Why do interest rates exist, anyway? When did interest rates first come into existence? What is the current interest rate on savings and loans? Who sets the interest rates? Why are interest rates so low right now?

To find answers to these questions, the class reached out to Sparkasse Marburg-Biedenkopf. Jochen Schönleber, a member of the board of directors, invited Class 7c—along with their homeroom teacher, Lisa Braun, and their former math teacher, Eberhard Wieth—to visit the Sparkasse’s main branch. During the visit, he explained to the class the Sparkasse’s responsibilities and how it operates.

 

Questions presented as a quiz

In addition, the students asked several other questions during the visit: What was the largest loan the Sparkasse has ever granted? What happens if the Sparkasse cannot repay savings deposits? What other functions does the Sparkasse perform? Is it possible to do an internship at the Sparkasse?

Sparkasse employees Felix Müller and Julian Blöcher had prepared the students’ questions in the form of a quiz. The students took the quiz on their smartphones and learned a lot of new things in the process, including about interest rates, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) key interest rate, jobs at the Sparkasse, and more. “Numi,” the robot developed by the Sparkasse in collaboration with the University of Marburg, helped them along the way.

A final tour of the Sparkasse, with additional information provided by Deputy Branch Manager Kevin Kassner, rounded out the visit, which had been organized by Sparkasse employee Meike Stark.