Shaping Opportunities through Sindbad Mentoring
Compulsory school is over, but what comes next? At the end of their schooling, many young people are faced with the difficult question of which path to take. 15-year-old Bogi also faced this challenge. But thanks to the support of Sindbad and her mentor Alissa, who works at Hilti, she was able to gain clarity and confidently set the course for her professional future.
This program is supported by the Hilti Foundation, which not only contributes financially but also encourages Hilti employees to actively participate. In this way, the foundation's concept of “helping people to help themselves” is also put into practice within the company.
Mentoring as a win-win situation
Bogi comes from Hungary and has been living in Vorarlberg with her mother and siblings for several years. She recently completed her last year of compulsory schooling and thanks to her participation in Sindbad and the support of Hilti employee Alissa, she now has a clearer idea of her future. “Everything is better with Alissa because if I have any questions, she can always help me,” says Bogi. Together they looked at various apprenticeships and prepared application documents. The visit to Spar was a key experience for Bogi: “After that, I decided that I wanted to start an apprenticeship there.”
This collaboration is not only valuable for Bogi, but also for Alissa, who works as a Global Service Manager at Hilti. “I got involved with Sindbad because it's a great opportunity to do something good and learn something at the same time - and yes, it's actually really fun,” she says. Her experience shows that the program offers far more than just an opportunity to get involved in social causes. It has also helped her to develop new leadership and coaching skills, thereby strengthening her personal and professional development.
Shaping the future together
The aim of Sindbad Vorarlberg is to improve equal opportunities for young people. To achieve this, young people are accompanied by a mentor during the transition from compulsory schooling to further education. These are young adults who are in professional life and offer valuable support - be it by pointing out the various options, helping with the preparation of application documents or, from time to time, by simply listening to the concerns of the mentees. Through regular meetings and individual support, the program helps young people to recognize their potential and make a successful start to secondary school or an apprenticeship. For mentors, the program offers the opportunity to do something meaningful beyond their day-to-day work. They can bring about direct, positive changes in the lives of young people and at the same time grow from this task themselves. “For me and also for Bogi, it would be a super big success if she gets the apprenticeship, because of course it would also give me the success of having really supported someone and helped them realize their dreams,” explains Alissa.
A happy ending: Bogi got the apprenticeship
Bogi and Alissa's efforts and commitment have paid off: Bogi has been offered an apprenticeship at Spar. She is now completing a summer internship at Spar until the apprenticeship starts in autumn. This success shows how effective the Sindbad mentoring program is and how important the commitment of individuals like Alissa is for the success of young people.
Sindbad Social Business
The Sindbad association was founded in Vienna in 2016 and is committed to equal opportunities. At Sindbad, people from different backgrounds come together and learn from each other as part of 1:1 mentoring programs. Young adults volunteer as mentors for young people between the ages of 13 and 19 during the transition from compulsory education to their next steps. By 2022, around 3,570 young people had been accompanied on their path to their professional future. With eight locations across Austria today, this number is set to rise to 10,000 mentees by 2026.