A tailor-made educational offer

Domingos Torres is one step closer to his goal. After passing the general aptitude test last autumn, the 43-year-old hopes to pass the entrance exam this spring to pursue a career as a municipal official.

Torres is supported by the Learn for Success programme (L4S) of the Adult Education Department of the Ministry of Education. Five years ago, a colleague tipped him off to attend the adult courses. A year earlier, in 2016, the native Portuguese had failed the municipal exam. But giving up was out of the question for him. In 2017, the 43-year-old turned to adult education coaches for the first time. In the L4S programme, Torres first took German courses, and later strengthened his maths and French skills in order to achieve his professional goal.

For people like Domingos Torres, L4S is exactly the right offer. Inspired by the French "Ateliers de pédagogie personnalisé" (APP), L4S is aimed at anyone who is in a transition phase and/or has a concrete plan. Noël Faust was recruited by the ministry in 2013 when the project was launched. In the same year, the teacher of French as a foreign language took over the leadership. Since then, one of his tasks has been to talk to the applicants about their plans and their situation and to advise them. His experience of working mainly in private language institutes is of great benefit to him. Because the attitude of primarily focusing on people's needs and wishes is crucial for the work at L4S. "It is important to meet the needs of the learner." The trainers place great emphasis on coaching at eye level. "We don't stand at the blackboard."