How to make a successful career change?

The days when employees spent most of their careers in the same company are long gone. Today, professional mobility has become the rule. Numerous studies have shown that the younger generations are accumulating experience and that more and more people over 40 are considering a career change. But how to make a successful mid-career change? What are the key steps to follow?

Identify your new path

To give yourself the best chance of success, ask yourself the right questions. Why do you want to change job? Do you want more responsibility? Do you want to be your boss? Do you think you've done enough in your current sector and want to take on new challenges? Are you looking for a better work-life balance?

You don't yet have a clear idea of what you want to do? The vocational guidance service of ADEM, the Luxembourg Employment Agency, can help you put your ideas into practice and check if they are in line with the current labour market situation. It provides a lot of information related to professions (mostly in French and German) and organizes individual guidance interviews (even in English). You can also visit , based on an initiative by SNJ (National Youth Service), ADEM and CEDIES (Centre for Documentation and Information on Higher Education). The portal brings together useful information, contacts and links that will guide you in your search for employment, training, voluntary service or internships (only in French and German). And why not using self-assessment tools such as This Austrian multilingual portal allows you to define which profession corresponds to you according to your interests.

Learn new skills

Once you have defined your new career plan, analyse the skills and knowledge you lack. Perhaps you need further training? Luxembourg has a large and high-quality range of lifelong learning courses. organizes training courses in crafts and assists craftsmen in setting up their businesses. of the Chamber of Commerce offers continuing vocational training services in 4 languages (English, French, German and Luxembourgish) in various fields - from insurance to human resources, accounting, real estate, law, taxation, transport and logistics. It also coordinates various programmes for jobseekers on behalf of ADEM. These include Fit4DigitalFuture 2.0 for an introduction to the digital skills in demand on the Luxembourg job market and Skill You Up 2.0 to prepare for a career change to another function or even a new sector. You can also find relevant information on . Managed by the INFPC (the National Institute for the Development of Continuing Vocational Training), the portal centralizes more than 10,000 training courses offered by 290 public, private and voluntary training bodies. , the continuous vocational training centre of the Chamber of Employees, aims to enable employees, whatever their level of education, to improve their skills and develop their careers. The LLLC offers general short-term training courses, specialized training and higher education programmes, and professional certification programmes.

Apply for financial support

Before you take the plunge, make sure you have enough money to give yourself time to train and start your career transition. Also, find out about possible financial support. Anyone working in the private sector is entitled to 80 days' training leaves during their working life. It gives you the time to take individual training courses while keeping your salary and your job. You can also benefit from an interruption of your obligations with your employer and take an unpaid training leave, provided that you have worked at least two years for your employer. Unfortunately, you cannot deduct professional development costs if they are not directly linked to your current professional activity.

If you are a jobseeker registered with ADEM, you can benefit from a number of specific training courses designed to facilitate your career change (cross-functional training, digital skills, tailor-made training requested by an employer, etc.). Whether receiving unemployment benefit or not, you may receive financial support for vocational training under certain conditions. You must submit your request for support of training before the training starts and pre-finance the total costs of training. You can also enrol in an adult apprenticeship to finalize, complete or acquire vocational training through an apprenticeship scheme. Adult apprenticeship lasts 3 years and you are paid the social minimum wage for unskilled workers (2,201.93 € gross per month). More information on .

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Service d’orientation professionnelle de l’ADEM (ADEM-OP), Maison de l'Orientation, 29 rue Aldringen L-1118 Luxembourg - (+352) 247-85480.