About PROJEKTFABRIK
A registered association, PROJEKTFABRIK is an independent educational establishment based in Witten, in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
Founded by businesswoman Sandra Schürmann, who is now CEO in 2005, PROJEKTFABRIK runs training programmes for the long-term unemployed under the age of 25. In the past two to three years, the organization’s JobAct® program has started to diversify by also including older participants (JobAct® to Connect) as well as migrants (LinguaSzena) in certain projects.
The programmes are based on a training technique first developed by Schürmann and now offered under a scheme called “JobAct®”. The clients of PROJEKTFABRIK are primarily local employment consortia and other training centres. Services provided by PROJEKTFABRIK range from project management to the acquisition of suitable training partners, public relations work, and bringing together local consortia, educational institutions and businesses.
PROJEKTFABRIK currently employs 28 full-time workers and 30 freelancers. There are currently 28 projects underway throughout the whole of Germany. PROJEKTFABRIK has also already expanded its operations to Spain and the Turkey. Further PROJEKTFABRIK operations are in the pipeline in other countries like the Netherlands.
History
The PROJEKTFABRIK association first received recognition for its JobAct® programme in 2006, when it was awarded the first National Award For Youth And Work (the “Deutscher Förderpreis Jugend in Arbeit”) by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA).
In 2008, PROJEKTFABRIK directors Sandra Schürmann and Simon Rieser were finalists for the Social Entrepreneur prize awarded by the Schwab Foundation and the Boston Consulting Group.
Since 2009, the Private Equity Foundation has been helping to expand processes and systems to support the expansion of Sandra Schürmann’s training technique through JobAct® projects. Numerous accolades have followed in the meantime such as the grant of the Federal Cross of Merit in 2010.
Ashoka Fellowship
Since 2009, Sandra Schürmann, founder and managing director of PROJEKTFABRIK, has been a member of Ashoka Fellows, the world’s largest organisation for supporting social entrepreneurship.
Key social purpose
The aim of the JobAct®scheme is to offer training to the young long-term unemployed. Based on a ground-breaking method developed by social entrepreneur Sandra Schürmann, JobAct® uses theatrical teaching techniques to prepare young adults for career and life challenges.
Key elements of PROJEKTFABRIKS offer
The projects are targeted specifically at unemployed adults and are based on a three-block educational method of JobAct®. Participants learn professional skills (Block 1) in combination with social skills (Block 2). These are underpinned by individual, creative approaches to boost self-confidence (Block 3). This is achieved by drawing on techniques used in theatrical teaching and personal development.
Most JobAct® training actually takes place on stage. As part of their joint challenge to produce a play, the young adults not only learn practical skills (ranging from stage design to lighting, costume, marketing and PR), they also develop key soft skills. The underlying emphasis, however, is on stimulating participants’ intrinsic creativity, thus empowering them to take control of their lives, their learning and their work.
The projects last ten months and also include training on submitting job applications, plus an industrial placement at a potential future employer or a company offering training.
Support provided by PROJEKTFABRIK gGmbH
The aim of PROJEKTFABRIK is to roll out the scheme JobAct® nationwide and interantional. The clients of PROJEKTFABRIK are primarily local employment consortia and other training centres.
Services provided by PROJEKTFABRIK range from project management to the acquisition of suitable training partners, public relations work, and bringing together local consortia, educational institutions and businesses. Other companies are expressly invited to join the scheme.