The focus was on providing young people with activating "hands-on" experiences that go beyond classic career orientation measures. New approaches are being developed to allow young people to actively experience the world of work. This can only be achieved through cooperation between schools and companies. Therefore, schools should be supported in systematically cooperating with companies. The project aimed to establish permanent regional networks of schools, companies and institutions that will remain in place even after the end of the project. In these, innovative formats for RealityChecks are developed that meet the needs of companies as well as those of students and teachers. The qualification of educators, consultants and company trainers is a prerequisite for their effective use. To this end, practical procedures and a training concept were developed and evaluated. In this way, the goal of a sustainable effectiveness of RealityChecks as an element of lively and realistic educational and career orientation can be achieved. The aim was to develop and disseminate the formats in a way that could be used throughout Europe.
The "RealityCheck" project arose from the urgent need to offer young people authentic, practical insights into the real world of work and profession in order to be able to make reflective, experience-based decisions for future educational, training and career paths. The opportunities for this are very different in European education systems and school types. Rapid developments in digitalization, the need for skilled workers, and artificial intelligence are exacerbating this need. Schools and parents do not always have the necessary contacts with practitioners. Companies also need support in finding the right approach for young people. This gap is closed with RealityChecks – activating formats for young people to engage with work and career in an inspiring way: practical experiences, low-threshold access for all young people – regardless of origin or educational background – with a view to inclusion and diversity, and all this in close cooperation between schools, companies and institutions. In this way, the project aims at both regional needs and European strategies that call for a closer connection between education, the world of work and social participation.