Description
Empresas que Inspiran is an online platform that connects schools and companies to enhance career guidance and inspire students to explore professional opportunities. Through a dual registration process, companies upload activities such as workplace visits, career talks, and job shadowing experiences, while schools use a search engine with filters and maps to select and apply for up to five activities. Once a company approves an application, the school’s Career Leader (CEAP) coordinates directly with the company to finalise details.
The platform also offers free access to a comprehensive library of career guidance videos, including insights from professionals about their academic and career paths, and explorations of employment sectors led by influencers. These resources, paired with learning guides and filters for targeted searches, enable teachers to effectively link curriculum content to real-world applications. Additional materials like webinars and interviews further support schools and company volunteers in improving communication and career guidance strategies for young people.
By operating as a dynamic marketplace, Empresas que Inspiran fosters equitable, efficient, and effective career guidance. It addresses critical challenges such as early leaving from education and training and skills mismatches by offering experiential learning opportunities that motivate students and demonstrate the relevance of education to future employment. The platform is particularly impactful for socially disadvantaged students, providing them with access to professional environments and labour market information that may otherwise be unavailable. By encouraging all students to see the value of their education and helping them connect with careers that align with their interests and abilities, Empresas que Inspiran promotes equity and reduces barriers to meaningful employment.
Beneficiaries
Students in secondary and upper secondary education
Countries
Country/ies or organisation that developed the tool
Purpose of the toolkit
The primary goal of Empresas que Inspiran is to bridge the gap between education and the professional world, aiming to reduce early leaving from education and training and improve students' career readiness. By facilitating connections between schools and companies, the initiative seeks to inspire students, awaken their interests, and broaden their understanding of career possibilities. The platform serves school counsellors and career leaders (CEAPs) in schools, teachers, and company volunteers who implement career guidance activities.
Through experiential learning opportunities such as workplace visits, career talks, and job shadowing, as well as access to curated career guidance resources, the platform helps students develop relevant skills, dismantle stereotypes, and gain a better understanding of the labour market. Ultimately, the initiative addresses challenges related to student motivation and the skills mismatch faced by employers while promoting equity in access to professional opportunities.
Type of guidance given to users
The Empresas que Inspiran platform operates as a digital marketplace where companies and schools collaborate. Companies can post activities such as workplace visits, career talks, and job shadowing experiences, while schools use search tools with filters and maps to select activities of interest. Once companies approve applications, details are finalised between schools and company volunteers.
In addition, the platform offers a rich library with free access to over 100 career guidance videos featuring professionals sharing their journeys and influencers presenting various employment sectors. These resources include learning guides, filters for areas of interest, and downloadable activities to help teachers link career exploration with educational content. Webinars and interviews further complement the platform, providing training for school and company representatives to effectively engage students.
The platform is free to use, leveraging existing resources such as company participation and teacher engagement to deliver activities. Development and maintenance rely on human resources from Fundación Bertelsmann and collaborating organisations.
The platform has demonstrated a positive impact on reducing early leaving from education and training by motivating students and fostering their engagement through experiential learning. It has successfully introduced students to real-world professional contexts, enabling them to see the value of education in achieving fulfilling careers. Particularly for at-risk students, these activities have encouraged them to reconsider their educational paths and explore careers aligned with their interests and abilities.
Empresas que Inspiran was awarded for its positive impact during the 2021-2022 academic year, engaging over 12,000 students in Madrid and Catalonia.
Every year an impact evaluation of the activities carried out is undertaken.
The key innovative element of Empresas que Inspiran is its ability to connect schools directly with companies, creating a structured yet flexible approach to experiential learning. The platform’s combination of face-to-face activities and digital resources provides comprehensive career guidance. Its alignment with internationally available career guidance quality frameworks, such as Xcelence and Gatsby Benchmarks, ensures it meets high standards. Additionally, its focus on equity ensures that socially disadvantaged students and those at risk of school failure benefit equally from its opportunities. The strong collaboration between schools, companies, and professionals has been pivotal to the initiative’s success.