Abstract:

Pupils and students today face a high degree of complexity when it comes to the transition from school or university to further education or training. This complexity is due to changes in the labour market, the diversification of educational opportunities and pathways, new and previously unknown skills requirements, but also the uncertainty about the future of our societies and the ecological and economic challenges. However, these challenges and uncertainties not only affect students, but also the teachers or counsellors who accompany these young people in their vocational or professional orientation and guidance through the education system. In this context, this paper is dedicated to the question of how artificial intelligence (AI) can support transitions, career guidance and vocational orientation and how professional users (teachers, counsellors) react to a specially developed AI-based application. The conception of the AI application as well as the testing and evaluation and the recommendations for the further development of the AI application will be presented.

The first part of the paper will focus on the AI tool that has been developed. So far, AI has mainly been used in career guidance as a "self-help" tool for students or people use general LLM models to improve self-presentation, generate information or reflection opportunities for themselves. So far, there are only a few AI tools that directly and specifically support counsellors or professionals who deliver vocational orientation. So far, there are no AI tools that are designed with reference to sound career theories and use reliable and controlled data (Weber/Ertelt 2025b). The AI tool presented uses AI in such a way that it does not replace teachers and counsellors, but rather expands their range of activities and their access to current and fit for purpose information. We speak here of "augmentation" (Maletzki et al., 2024) or, following Walpusky (2025), of AI-assisted counselling. Guidance and vocational orientation activities in school is about 'human-to-human experience' and should focus additionally on 'AI empowerment' for users. The project presented here is developing an AI prototype in collaboration with the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). It is based on research findings on human decision-making behaviour (Ertelt, Schulz, Frey, 2022; Weber, 2021) and, on the AI side, on "hybrid intelligent support systems" (Maletzki et al., 2023; Weber and Ertelt, 2025a).

The second part of this paper presents the results of experimental trials involving professionals using this tool. The opportunities as well as the limitations and problems of implementation are discussed. Based on the data obtained (qualitative and quantitative), it is analysed whether the application in its current form is technically reliable and functionally usable and effective. In addition, the additional benefits of the application compared to previous methods will be examined, for example in terms of efficiency, quality or individualisation of guidance and career education. Another key aspect concerns the change in the role of the professionals through the use of the AI tool. Possible obstacles or favourable factors for successful implementation to practise are identified. Finally, the future development perspective of the AI tool is also addressed, with potential content-related, functional, professional and ethical aspects being discussed.

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Augmentation, Lifespan Transition, Vocational choice, Guidance, Educational Orientation.