Association for the Professional Advancement of Women e. V. (VbFF)

The Verein zur beruflichen Förderung von Frauen e. V. (VbFF; Association for the Professional Advancement of Women) is an institution based in Frankfurt am Main that has made it its mission to support and assist women and girls in matters relating to their working lives. Founded in 1978, it is the oldest institution of its kind in Hesse and one of the only ones whose services are still aimed exclusively at women.¹² The association’s services comprise a wide range of counselling and teaching formats that are adapted to the individual circumstances and needs of the different target groups.³

History and structure of the association

The VbFF’s first location on Ludolfstraße in Bockenheim, Frankfurt am Main
Foto: Karin Kraus

The foundations for the VbFF were laid during the women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The association grew out of the Seminar für Politik, a voluntary initiative that campaigned for the professional development of women.⁴ In 1978 those involved founded a registered association (eingetragener Verein), making the VbFF the oldest institution in Hesse for the vocational education and counselling of women and girls.⁵ From the very beginning, disadvantaged groups such as single mothers or women with a migration background were at the centre of the association’s work; initially, however, its services were aimed mainly at women over 27 as well as at women who had come to Germany in connection with the so-called guest worker programmes, primarily from Italy and Turkey. Over the years the association’s focus has broadened: today the VbFF also works first and foremost with younger women and – in line with generally more international patterns of migration – with women from a wide variety of backgrounds; many refugees also find support at the VbFF.⁶⁷ In addition, its services have expanded from pure counselling to more differentiated formats that meet the various needs of the women.⁸ The VbFF has more than 40 permanent female employees, among them two social workers, and also draws on external help from freelance lecturers or trauma educators.⁹¹⁰ Around 1,100 women make use of the association’s services every year.¹¹

Self-image and working methods

According to its own account, the association takes an approach of fundamental tolerance and openness in its work; mutual appreciation and respect are central aspects in all areas of its activities.¹² According to managing director Kerstin Einecke, a strong focus on intercultural learning and a climate of acceptance are also achieved by the fact that many of the association’s employees themselves have a migration background and very different professional histories – they therefore act as direct role models for women who seek support at the VbFF.¹³

The association situates its work at the interface between civil society, politics, business and public authorities; alongside its direct support services for women, lobbying on behalf of marginalised groups plays an important role.¹⁴ The VbFF also works in a network with various organisations such as the Frankfurt Women’s Department, the Frankfurt Jobcenter, jumpp Frauenbetriebe e. V. or the Frauen-Softwarehaus.¹⁵

In its work the VbFF pursues a holistic approach that supports women at every stage of their professional development – from career orientation and planning through vocational training to a possible return to work after a career break.¹⁶ Based on the academic insight that new skills are acquired most sustainably in a way that involves all the senses and an emotional component, creative formats also play an important role in the work of the VbFF, complementing its career preparation and counselling formats by strengthening the women’s self-confidence and powers of expression.¹⁷

Services

The current location of the Verein zur beruflichen Förderung von Frauen e. V. at Walter-Kolb-Straße 1–7 in Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt am Main
Foto: Karin Kraus

Counselling

One core area of the VbFF’s work continues to be the counselling of women and girls, in particular in order to ease the transitions between different stages of training and career.¹⁸ Alongside opportunities for individual coaching, there are services tailored specifically to particular target groups, such as the project MINA, which is geared towards counselling girls and young women up to the age of 26.¹⁹

Career orientation and preparation

In order to prepare women and girls for a job or vocational training, the VbFF offers various courses designed to help women identify their own strengths and abilities and to work out what kind of occupation would suit them. The project Schritt für Schritt ins Erwerbsleben (Step by Step into Working Life), for example, is aimed at mothers who wish to take up an occupation. For six months, participants can attend training sessions that enable them to set themselves realistic goals and to achieve them. Improving German language skills is a central component for participants with a migration or refugee background, so that they can reach the level of language proficiency required to begin vocational training. Creative workshops are also intended to help them discover their own abilities, prepare for application processes and engage with topics such as time management or the reconciliation of family and working life. The VbFF runs the project together with the Frankfurt Jobcenter; it is co-financed by the Frankfurt Youth and Social Welfare Office (Jugend- und Sozialamt).²⁰²¹

Since 2011 the VbFF has also offered the project VOKA, a preparatory course for vocational training in nursing and care. In addition to language support, participants receive instruction in IT and the fundamentals of care, and together address issues such as dealing with illness, physical strain or the double burden of work and family.²² Women also receive support in looking for a training place or organising childcare.²³ The preparatory course for training in geriatric care is aimed in particular at women with a migration background, since the rising number of care home residents with an international history has increased the demand for care workers with linguistic and cultural competences in recent years.²⁴

The VbFF also offers targeted preparatory courses for young mothers who wish to begin part-time vocational training, as well as for women with an international history who are planning training in the commercial sector.²⁵

Part-time vocational training

In 1998 the VbFF developed the concept of part-time vocational training and has since supported women in various sectors in this undertaking, in close cooperation with the Frankfurt Jobcenter, the Frankfurt Women’s Department and the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs.²⁶ The VbFF itself acts as a training company for trainees qualifying as office administrators and otherwise supports women in finding training companies in other sectors.²⁷

In cooperation with Agaplesion gAG Frankfurt and supported by the HIT-Stiftung and the Kurt und Maria Dohle Stiftung, part-time vocational training in nursing has been available since 2015. This service is mainly taken up by mothers, since the teaching times at the Agaplesion training centre are adapted to mothers’ needs.²⁸²⁹³⁰ The VbFF continues to advise the women even after they have completed their training.³¹

The inclusion of the concept of dual part-time vocational training in the Vocational Training Act (Berufsbildungsgesetz) at federal level in 2005 can be regarded as one result of the successful work of the VbFF:³² 97–98 % of participants pass their examination at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer); 67 % are taken on by their training company after completing their training or find a position immediately.³³ Despite these above-average results, the association laments that many companies remain sceptical about the concept, which is why the VbFF campaigns for this to change and for the option of part-time vocational training to be opened up in fields such as geriatric care.³⁴

Services for refugees

The VbFF addresses women with a refugee background directly through a range of services. Alongside support with the recognition of foreign qualifications,³⁵ the project Neue Wege – Neue Pläne (New Paths – New Plans), launched in 2017, works directly in refugee accommodation and prepares refugee women for vocational training or other career opportunities through a combination of intensive language teaching and career counselling.³⁶³⁷ This is particularly valuable for women whose residence status has not yet been clarified, since a secure status and language level B2 are prerequisites for beginning vocational training.³⁸³⁹ In its work the VbFF also attaches great importance to taking account of the women’s individual and in some cases traumatic experiences, and above all to helping them to arrive and not to feel isolated.⁴⁰ The tandem project Mina Meets, which brings together refugee women and women without a refugee background, pursues this aim, for example.⁴¹

Return to work

For women who have taken a longer career break and wish to return to working life, the VbFF offers various programmes to ease their return, in cooperation with Frauen-Softwarehaus Frankfurt e. V., beramí e. V. and jumpp – Frauenbetriebe e. V. In addition to individual counselling services, courses and mentoring projects, the associations jointly carry out lobbying work in the interests of these women.⁴²

Digitalisation

Since 2019 the VbFF has been training its employees in digital working.⁴³ This internal digitalisation process was considerably accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic and extended to the participants in its projects. The pandemic demonstrated the enormous relevance of the project WANDA, funded by the European Social Fund, the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and the Vinci-Stiftung, which since March 2020 has been teaching women about digital media and raising their awareness of the critical aspects of these applications.⁴⁴⁴⁵ While the possibility of digital teaching had already been envisaged before the pandemic, all of the VbFF’s services were adapted accordingly during the pandemic and proved enormously helpful in particular for single-parent participants, since it allowed them to take part in the courses despite their increased childcare duties.⁴⁶

Creative services

In an annual theatre project supported by the Stiftung Rajapack and under the patronage of Frankfurt’s Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann, participants in the VbFF’s programmes develop a play of their own, through which they improve their German and social skills in a playful way, but also learn to come out of their shell and to deal with excitement and uncertainty, which helps them in application processes.⁴⁷⁴⁸⁴⁹

Awards

The VbFF has repeatedly been honoured by the non-profit analysis and consulting organisation Phineo for the sustainable impact of its part-time vocational training programme, because the concept takes seriously and takes account of the circumstances and life plans of young mothers.⁵⁰

Machine translation: This article was translated automatically from the German original.

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