Over 500 Moldovan pupils have tested their professional future on the Takeover Day, organised with EU assistance
Students from 25 Moldovan schools have tested their future by trying out various jobs, as a means to help them shape their future careers within the Takeover Day campaign. The event celebrated the right of all children and young people to participate in the society and took place in the context of the World Children’s Rights Day, marked on 20 November. The campaign was conducted both at the local and at the national level, within Joboteca EU-funded Project, implemented by Terre des hommes Romania and Terre des hommes Moldova. The Takeover Day campaign took place during 14 and 20 November 2022.
“This year, we have held the first edition of the Takeover Day campaign meant to encourage the school students to discover their talents and wishes for the mostly suitable career for them. Within this campaign, young people meet mentors and test the job they like in a practical way, thus being able to figure out if it suits them, if it is really what they would like for their future”, Elena Madan, Terre des hommes country director in Moldova, explained the rationale and the particularities of the campaign.
At the national level, the young people had the opportunity to meet 15 professionals who achieved outstanding results in their field of work, who welcomed the students with great openness, speaking to them about their job and involving them in specific activities to test the job. The participants were selected based on a motivation letter in which the students explained why they wished to meet a specific mentor. Finally, 33 young people met different professionals, such as entrepreneur, chef, IT specialist, organisation director, actor, ambassador, hair-stylist, journalist, ombudsman for children’s rights, police officer, doctor, barista and restaurant manager. They could spend from a few hours to almost one day with their mentors from the EU Delegation, the Terre des hommes Moldova Foundation, the Office of the President of the Republic of Moldova, ARTCOR, „Luceafărul” Republican Theatre, Oliva Verde and Tucano Coffee restaurants, the Police Inspectorate of Centre district of the capital and others.
„This day is unforgettable. I discovered many aspects of the diplomatic job that were unknown to me before that and Mr. Ambassador was the right person to learn so many interesting things from. In the future, I hope to represent Moldova as well as he represents the European Union”, said Nicolae Mărjineanu, 11th grader from the Grozești village, Nisporeni district, whose mentor was Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador of the European Union in the Republic of Moldova.
Andreea Rusu, 11th grader, wishes to become a doctor and, therefore, she chose Dr. Lucia Gariuc, an ENT doctor at Pedriatica clinic in Chișinău, as her mentor. „Today’s experience was unique and I’m glad I had this opportunity. I learned that working in the medical field requires both knowledge and the ability to communicate effectively with the patients. Ms. Lucia Gariuc inspired and motivated me a lot and even gave hope about my professional future. I am grateful for it”, the young girl from Grozești (Nisporeni) stated.
Nine students had the opportunity to visit the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova, where they learned about how such an institution is organised, who are the officials and the advisers who work there and even met the President for a short discussion.
„After visiting the Presidency, I was pleasantly surprised by the small details and the history of this building. The meeting with Ms Maia Sandu, the President of the Republic of Moldova, was a memorable moment, as was the fact that she talked to us about her professional path and about what we need to do to become the best in a certain field”, Ștefan Stolear, a 12th grader from Strășeni, shared his impressions.
This experience was novel for the mentors, as well. They perceived it as a great responsibility and took their role very seriously.
“It is a huge responsibility to work for one day together with children. Through your actions, you must convince them how important it is to know their rights and where/to whom to resort if they are infringed. I would repeat this experience every time I was asked to speak about my position of the People’s Advocate for children’s rights, about its importance for children and for the protection of the children’s rights”, Maia Bănărescu, People’s Advocate for children’s rights, described the experience of this day.
Maxim Cucu is a cyber security consultant for Wheels Donlen, Chicago, USA. He was the mentor of Constantin and Cristina, 11th and 9th graders. „I talked with the students about the opportunities in IT field and how today’s technologies are shaping our world and future. They were very motivated and interested in learning more about programming, certifications and what education would be more relevant for their future. Through this programme, young people have access to various mentors and this is a very good opportunity to prepare the Moldovan pupils for the labour market”, the IT specialist thinks.
At the local level, in the 25 partner schools of the Joboteca Project, the coordinating teachers conducted the Takeover Day together with professionals from their communities. The jobs of craftsmen, doctors, farmers, entrepreneurs, firefighters, along with many other jobs were tried out by students. A total of 500 young people met 250 mentors and, together, had a passing over/taking over the baton experience, what was a first for each of them.
Nina Cegorescu, teacher at Codreanca middle school, Strășeni district, was a local coordinator of 19 students in her school on the Takeover Day. „For many students, the participation in the Takeover Day was the final step towards making a decision about their professional future. The mentors were very responsive (local government, Străseni IMSP, a dentist’s practice, the police inspectorate, a beauty salon), they welcomed us with open arms. The students were delighted with this experience. Among them, just one young man, who dreamed of becoming a dentist, realised that this profession is not suitable for him”, the teacher says.
„I gladly embraced the opportunity to participate in the Takeover Day. It gave me the possibility to test the job of an entrepreneur, as well as of a waiter. Now it is clearer to me what these professions mean. I was happy to see the openness of our mentors to share their experience, with positives and negatives”, says Constantin Avram, 12th grader of the Vorniceni village, Strășeni district.
The students who took part in the campaign were very enthusiastic about the opportunity to get in touch with professionals who are able to answer their questions about the profession they dream of. For many of them, this experience was decisive – some realised that they are ready to dedicate themselves to the job they wish, while others understood that it is not appropriate for them.
The “Takeover Day” is an opportunity for the adults to show to young people that they trust them and the choices they make. At the same time, it is a platform for young people to express themselves and a chance to test their choice through access to the job they dream of.
“JOBOTECA – Pilot programme for preparing the young people in Moldova for the labour market” Project (2021 – 2024) is implemented by Terre des hommes Romania and Terre des hommes Moldova, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Moldova and it is funded by the European Union.