Munich youth careers agency JiBB marks ten years of helping young people into work

The youth careers agency JiBB (Young People in Education and Work) on Kapuzinerstraße 30 in Munich is marking ten years of supporting teenagers and young adults on their way into apprenticeships, university and employment. Since opening on 26 October 2016, it has offered a central, easy-to-access drop-in point for young people moving from school into the world of work.

The agency was set up by the Munich Employment Agency, Jobcenter München, the City of Munich and Munich District, and brings key advice and support services together under one roof. Its work now goes well beyond careers guidance, as financial worries, family difficulties or mental health problems can make the start of adult and working life harder. Over the years a wider network of advice and support services has also grown up around the agency, so that complex issues can be tackled and individual solutions found.

Mayor Verena Dietl said: "Every young person has plans. We help to make something of them. At JiBB you can simply drop in and we tackle things together. The city, the district, the employment agency and the job centre have been working together on this for ten years. The city also funds additional specialist staff. To me, that is solidarity: we leave no one on their own as they start their working life. Good work begins with a good start."

JiBB coordinator Constanze Löbert said that, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic, staff had seen a marked increase in health and mental health problems among young people, creating additional challenges on their path into a career. She added that problems were often becoming more multi-layered and support needs increasingly complex.

Through JiBB, the city funds its own specialist staff and posts at independent providers to deliver psychosocial youth counselling and referrals to vocational youth welfare training projects. Through IBZ-Sprache und Beruf (Language and Work), it also offers advice on residence status, learning German and gaining school qualifications later in life.

JiBB can be reached in person or by phone on 233-787100, with no appointment needed, from 9am to noon Monday to Friday, from 1pm to 4pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 1pm to 5pm on Thursdays. More information is available at www.jibb-muenchen.de.