Developing as a European Foundation - PEF invests in Germany

The Private Equity Foundation has made its first European investment since the Board of Trustees agreed to focus on empowering young people to reach their full potential. The Hamburger Hauptschulmodell (HHM), a charity helping young people make a successful transition from school to work, will receive investment for 3 years, helping the charity to roll out their model across Germany and supporting 14,000 young people into apprenticeships.

PEF launched as a European foundation, with the intention of giving back to the communities across Europe in which private equity operates. HHM was backed at PEF’s second European Investment Day on 26 June 2008, and its first since the Board of Trustees agreed the Foundation’s focus on empowering young people to reach their full potential.

In Germany, PEF is working with Isabelle Probstel of APAX in Munich and with the Forum for Active Philanthropy, a charitable platform for families and individuals interested or already engaged in philanthropy. Set up in 2006, Active Philanthropy is based in Berlin and has already developed a strong reputation for helping donors to develop and implement their personal giving strategy.

In France, PEF will be working with the KPMG France Foundation and others from the private equity community to learn more about the charity landscape and identify organizations that we may be able to work with.

About HHM

HHM was created in 2000 by the Hamburg business community which wanted to ensure a more successful school–work transition of students that graduate from the Hauptschule (basic education school).

The HHM is the bridge-builder in the school-work transition, coordinating the efforts of 90+ Hauptschulen, the local job agency and the business community. It oversees a three step process:

  1. Hauptschule: Teachers, trained by HHM, work with each student due to leave school that year, to establish their interests and career goals.
  2. Job Agency: Students then meet with job counsellors at the Job Agency to discuss the kind of apprenticeships that are available, and what skills are necessary.
  3. Business Mentors: Once a student has a clear sense of what they want to do, the students meet up with an HR professional from a local business. These mentors conduct mock job interviews, check their written applications, coach them on the dress code for a job interview and offer further help if needed.

The results of all three steps are tracked in a data base and the contacts between the three actors are coordinated by the HHM. The HHM tries to get in touch with all potential graduates to make them aware of their services (flyers, phone calls, etc.). They offer all students the opportunity to talk with the HHM counsellors to refine their applications and help them locate apprenticeship positions. These services are currently used by more than 1000 students every year.

PEF is supporting HHM to develop a quality assurance system that means the programme can be rolled out across Germany, and helping them to double the number of young people they work with in Hamburg.