Two new Research Contracts for Evaluating the Career Orientation Program (BOP)

The Career Orientation Working Group, in cooperation with InterVal GmbH, has successfully secured funding for two research projects to evaluate the nationwide Career Orientation Program (BOP). Since 2008, the BOP has helped students recognize their strengths, explore career prospects, and further develop their career choice skills. The BOP is part of the Education Chains initiative and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family, Seniors, Women, and Youth (BMBFSFJ). The BOP is supervised by the Service Center for Career Orientation/Education Chains at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Bonn. The research contracts will be carried out in cooperation with InterVal GmbH (main contractor) and the University of Münster (subcontractor), represented by Prof. Dr. Katja Driesel-Lange. The Career Orientation Research Group contributes its expertise in instrument development and data analysis. The evaluation, which will run from September 2025 to December 2026, consists of two projects: The first research project examines the implementation and impact of potential analyses and career orientation days in accordance with the new quality standards of 2024. The second research project deals with the state-specific variants of BOP design and its structural parameters. To answer the research questions, a comprehensive mixed-methods design will be used, involving relevant stakeholders such as students, teachers, educational institutions, and responsible administrators.
The study’s goal is to formulate recommendations for the program’s further development. Further information on the project can be found here.