Research question: The City of Dresden is making an active contribution to the improvement of career and study orientation for students and young adults. Thus, it supports sustainable securing of trainees not only locally but also throughout Saxony. The transition from school to training is the first threshold young people have to overcome on the way to working life. To do so they have to make decisions in a large number of options, which are dependent on endogenous and exogenous influences. In decision-making, young people are supported by a variety of instances, among them parents, school and their peers, with their attitudes, wishes and values that influence career choices. As well, there is a multitude of diverse career and study orientation services.

Methods and benefit: As part of the ESF-funded project, "Regional Coordination Centre for career and study orientation" the TU Dresden has developed an online survey instrument for career and study orientation. This instrument is to be used in the first training or academic year with little effort for the survey of students in the leaving classes in general education as well as apprentices and thus helping to gain reliable data on how young people deal with the transition from school to training / study. The online surveys goal is to strengthen the City of Dresden’s competency in career development by using comprehensive, comparable data available for transient behavior of pupils and thus an improved view of their behavior in the profession receive and study orientation.

Data and results: Meanwhile, the online tool is implemented in the education market place Saxony. Data was collected from 148 respondents that represent four different types of school. The poster will present details of the technology as well as selected data from the test phase whereas possible student work will be included. Results are twofold and show (A) the need for an organizational integration of the online survey (hosting, data procedures and curricular aspects of using the data) as well as (B) the difference of career orientation patterns in the respected school types (middle school versus secondary school versus special needs school).