13th International Swiss Talent Forum on the future of learning
From 20 to 24 February 2024, 79 young winners – aged 18 to 23 – of science competitions from Switzerland, Europe, Africa, Asia and America developed solutions for the future of learning at the 13th International Swiss Talent Forum (ISTF). The forum organised by the ‘Swiss Youth in Science’ foundation was attended by leading experts from research and industry. Prof. Antje Barabasch from SFUVET was one of the experts in Nottwil, near Lucerne.
Prof. Antje Barabasch set one of the five challenges on the topic of ‘rethinking online career orientation’. To complete the challenge, the teams had to explore existing online career guidance services, define a list of criteria to evaluate them and then use their findings to pilot their own proposal for an online solution. The project idea came from the BeLearn project ‘Digitalisation and career guidanceʼ.
Innovative solutions through international collaboration
As the teams were made up of international students, Swiss students and Swiss VET apprentices, the first team’s challenge was tackled from the perspective of Swiss young people with an interest in VET. Another team developed a pilot for a website that can be used universally in different countries. Both teams tackled the task efficiently, producing an aesthetically appealing, inviting and versatile website within four days. The teams paid special attention to aspects relating to the provision of information which had to be impartial, useful and easy to access. Technical challenges – in particular AI programmability as well as data processing, protection and storage – also played a major role. Both teams demonstrated how interdisciplinary, international collaboration can succeed.