Save the Children launches the interactive platform "What's Next” for students' vocational guidance

Children in the Capital now have a modern digital tool at their disposal that helps them discover their passions and professional potential. The Save the Children Romania organization, in partnership with the Bucharest Municipality Center for Educational Resources and Assistance (CMBRAE), launched the interactive vocational guidance platform "What's Next”. The platform aims to facilitate the career counseling process for students, parents, teachers and school counselors, through a collaborative and personalized approach. By creating a user account, students can access tools that help them identify their interests, skills and professional preferences, and parents and teachers can track progress and support informed decision-making regarding their educational future. "The aim of the project is to contribute to the access of all students in Bucharest to a quality counseling and vocational guidance process, based on modern methods and the active involvement of all actors in the school community," says the press release sent by Salvaţi Copiii. In the case of minor students, accounts are activated only after confirmation of parental consent, a measure that ensures data protection and online safety of children.

The "What's Next?" project was launched as a pilot program in the 2024-2025 school year, involving several educational institutions in the Capital. The results of the studies conducted at the beginning and end of the program show a significant increase in students' confidence in their own professional future. At the beginning of the program, 46.4% of students were in an area of uncertainty or moderate optimism. After the counseling activities, the percentage of optimistic students increased to 54.3%, while pessimism decreased below 5%. The awareness of the career guidance process increased from 67.5% to 88.7%, with the greatest progress being recorded among 7th grade students.

• A step towards modernizing educational counseling

The "What's Next” platform integrates interactive digital resources, vocational interest tests, self-assessment tools and support materials for teachers and school counselors. Through its intuitive design, the project responds to a pressing need: updating the school counseling process in the digital age. "Children need real support to understand their abilities and to build a professional path in accordance with them. "What's Next' brings vocational counseling closer to the digital generation,” CMBRAE representatives said. By implementing this platform, Save the Children and its partners propose a model that could be expanded, in the coming years, at the national level, offering all Romanian students the chance to discover and follow the right career path.