The state-wide programme for more equal opportunities in the education system "Talentscouting OWL" can accept more schools from Ostwestfalen-Lippe in the new year. Grammar schools, comprehensive schools and vocational colleges have until 16 February to apply to take part. If accepted, the newly accepted schools will be able to offer their motivated sixth form students from socio-economically challenging backgrounds regular counselling from the talent scouts of the four participating state universities in OWL. The universities involved are Bielefeld and Paderborn Universities, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI) and Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts (TH OWL).
The scouts provide pupils with personalised and open-ended advice and intensive support in their study and career guidance and work with them to discover their professional interests, potential and goals. They are also available after school and provide support with enrolment, BAföG and scholarship applications, for example, when starting university.
The programme has been funded by the NRW Ministry of Science since 2014 with the aim of giving young people the same educational opportunities - regardless of their parents' level of education, financial resources or other factors. There are now more than 100 talent scouts from 23 universities and universities of applied sciences in around 600 schools in NRW. They support talented young people from non-academic families on their way to a successful degree programme. Almost 30,000 pupils are currently involved in the programme. The talent scouting programme is spread almost evenly across vocational colleges, comprehensive schools and grammar schools. The NRW Centre for Talent Development is the central service point for the participating universities as well as the contact point for the qualification programmes for teachers and talent scouts.
The programme is now being expanded: The state will provide around ten million euros per year for this from 2024. In OWL, talent scouting has been implemented since 2017 within the Campus OWL university network with two talent scouts each at Paderborn and Bielefeld Universities, HSBI and TH OWL. The eight talent scouts in OWL currently support over 50 co-operating schools and help more than 1,200 young people to plan their future. The continuation and expansion of the talent scouting programme will be financed with two million euros until 2027. "We can see from the continuous demand from schools in recent years that there is a great deal of interest in talent scouting and are delighted to finally be able to take on more schools. In this way, we are not only supporting schools in promoting committed young people with potential, but are also making an important contribution to OWL, particularly with regard to the promotion of young talent," emphasises Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Schramm-Wölk, President of HSBI and Chairwoman of the Campus OWL network.
If you have any questions about participating in the programme, interested schools can contact talentscout(at)th-owl(dot)de.
Further information can be found on the websites of the Talentscouting OWL programme and the NRW Talent Centre.
This text has been translated automatically.
