National Future Career Day – Key Information

In Switzerland, many educational and occupational fields are still predominantly chosen by women or men. The aim of the National Future Career Day is to promote career and life planning for schoolchildren that fosters equal opportunity by providing new perspectives for boys and girls. That is why hundreds of companies, organisations and educational institutions across Switzerland will open their doors on National Future Career Day.

Girls and boys in the 5th to 7th grade accompany a friend or family member to their workplace or take part in exciting special projects. Following the motto «New Perspectives for Girls and Boys», they discover professions and areas of work and life where their gender is underrepresented and, most importantly, they learn numerous opportunities exist that they may never have realised were open to them.

Programme Overview

Do you have a daughter or a son in the 5th, 6th or 7th grade? Then take advantage of National Future Career Day! There are several ways to take part:

1. Basic programme: girls and boys accompany a friend or family member to work

When choosing a person to accompany, the focus is on providing a new perspective and letting your child discover occupations that are not typical for them as a girl or a boy:

• Girls should accompany a person who works in a field that is predominately male, e.g. their father, godfather or neighbour.
• Boys should accompany a person who works in a field that is predominately female, e.g. their mother, aunt or neighbour.

2. Special projects: girls and boys take part in a special project

Many companies, organisations and educational institutions organise special programmes on National Future Career Day and invite children to discover occupations that are not typical for them as girls or boys. If your child would also like to take part in a special project, visit the following links for more information:

• General information about the projects can be found at: «Spezialprojekte für Mädchen» or «Spezialprojekte für Jungen»
• Your daughter or son can register for a special project in your canton at: «Angebote».
  

Practical Information About Participation

In Your Company

Ask in your company whether you can take your child to work on National Future Career Day and then inform your work colleagues. The National Future Career Day is part of the annual programme in many companies.

At School

Check with the school to see if the class is planning to participate in the National Future Career Day. If not, you can submit an exemption letter to the school to allow your child to participate. There are different participation requirements depending on your canton. For children who do not take part in National Future Career Day and remain in class, the schools also offer internal projects.

Organisation of the Project Day

Before participating in the National Future Career Day, think about what kind of work your child can do on their own. A checklist will help you to organise your day.

Interview

Ask a colleague at work if they would be willing to be interviewed by your child. National Future Career Day should provide girls and boys with a new perspective and allow them to experience just how diverse the spectrum of possible professions truly is. You should therefore consciously choose a person who works in an occupational field that would not be typical for your child as a boy or a girl. You can find sample interview questions on the website.

National Future Career Day Questionnaire

At the end of the project day, have your child fill out the National Future Career Day Questionnaire.

Other Career Choice Activities

In addition to participating in the basic programme or in a special project, there are other ways to help your child chose an occupation that best fits their interests and talents. Information on games, documents and events can be found here.

Contact

The National Future Career Day team is happy to answer any questions, simply contact us:

Phone: 041 710 40 06
Email: info@nationalerzukunftstag.ch