MAPWISE
Rethinking career guidance:
the MAPWISE project
Choosing the right career is a formative decision in the lives of young people.
MAPWISE accompanies pupils on their way to mastering this challenge with creativity, innovation and motivation.
Innovative career guidance
with the MAPWISE app
As part of the project, an innovative app is being developed that expands the careers guidance process by integrating the personal network. Seven organisations from six countries are working together to adapt and implement the app in model regions in each country, both geographically and in terms of content.
The aim of the project is to meaningfully supplement existing standardised approaches to study and career guidance and to provide new impetus for guidance. With practical model tours and educational handouts, teachers and career counsellors receive valuable support to successfully integrate the MAPWISE app into their work and provide young people with even more targeted support.
Our goals!
Successful ‘interaction’ and ‘inclusion’ in career guidance.
The young people’s sense of self-efficacy is to be
be strengthened in a targeted manner.
The aim is to provide young people with tools to explore professions in their immediate surroundings and thus make them more visible.
The aim is to support young people in building up their own networks for their professional future at an early stage and in a self-determined manner.
Our planned results!
MAPWISE will provide an innovative combination of physical and virtual exploration that can be customised to individual needs and environments, making career guidance a collaborative process and environments, making career guidance a collaboratively experienced and designed process.
MAP App
The MAP APP: The centrepiece of the project is the development of an app that combines physical exploration with gameficition elements.
MAPWISE Mapping
The mapping: The app is further enriched by interactive tours and scenarios that make career exploration both entertaining and informative.
MAP Guide
The MAP Guide: An educational guide is being developed to help teachers, companies and other stakeholders to use and develop the app effectively.
How young people see their career choices: Insights from 452 responses
For MAPWISE, 452 young people from Germany, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Austria shared their perspectives on career choice, using a valuable mix of online questionnaires and personal interviews conducted following Design Thinking and User-Centered Design approaches.
Many people are unsure which companies offer internships and what requirements apply – parents and teachers are often the first people to contact in this regard. The results show that young people want careers with variety, modern equipment, easy accessibility, and a meaningful mix of theory and practice.
At the same time, many are held back by unclear requirements, long waiting times, complex application processes, and fears of making mistakes or facing high costs. Especially the fear of not having the “right” documents or receiving rejections keeps many from taking the first step.
This is exactly where MAPWISE comes in: with an interactive app, we aim to help young people explore careers in a practical way and gain the confidence to make their own career decisions.
MAPWISE-Touren und Points of Interest
MAPWISE is developing tours that enable young people to explore careers in a practical and interactive way. For this purpose, points of interest (POIs) are created within the app to bundle key information about professions, companies, and educational pathways. The focus is on presenting content in a clear, attractive, and relevant way to provide young people with low-threshold guidance.
For each POI, information on tasks, required skills, work environments, training pathways, and personal experiences is collected. Companies, educational institutions, and other stakeholders are involved to ensure real-life insights and practical content. The goal is to design MAPWISE tours that help young people discover careers and connect them to their own interests and abilities.
The project consortium is working intensively during the first and second project years on the design and scope of the content for the tour concept. This process combines didactic requirements, technical implementation, and the needs of young people to develop a sustainable and motivating tool for career guidance.
The project flyer
Stay up to date!
Second Transnational Project Meeting of the Erasmus+ Project “MAPWISE” in Graz, Austria
From 25 to 26 June 2025, the second transnational project meeting of the Erasmus+ project MAPWISE took place in Graz, Austria. The meeting was hosted by our partner CodeFlügel GmbH & Co. KG.
The meeting began with a warm welcome and an interactive expectations session to align project goals and next steps. The focus then shifted to the further development of the MAP-APP, designed to help young people discover local professions in an interactive and gamified way. During a workshop, the partners discussed and prioritised the must-have and nice-to-have features of the app.
In the afternoon, the development of MAPWISE Tours took centre stage. The partners exchanged ideas on what makes a good tour, which content and objectives it should fulfil, and how gamification elements can be meaningfully integrated to strengthen young people’s self-efficacy.
The second day started with a joint brainstorming session on stakeholder management and how to apply national findings for the creation of the MAP Guide. Further working sessions focused on strategies for disseminating project results, including social media, cooperation with schools, and open project events.
A highlight of the meeting was the evening social dinner on the Schlossberg in Graz, offering a stunning view over the city. The meeting provided valuable opportunities for professional and informal exchange, strengthening cooperation, and planning the next steps within the project.
The meeting in Graz was a complete success and further strengthened the cooperation and content orientation in the MAPWISE project, so that the next steps in the development of the MAP-APP are eagerly awaited.
Impressions of our kick-off meeting in Cologne
Project launch and kick-off meeting
Our project officially started on 01 December 2024! In the first few weeks, informal, organisational and preparatory online meetings have already taken place to prepare for the big kick-off meeting. This will take place on 28 and 29 January 2025 in Cologne.
All partners will come together in person for the first time at the kick-off meeting. Together, we will plan the project implementation, define the foundations for successful collaboration and implement the first project steps. We look forward to moving this exciting project forward together!
The project partners
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.