Five years Diplom+: How Luxembourg helps young people find their way

On 26 June 2025, the Minister of Education, Claude Meisch, presented certificates to 33 young Diplom+ participants who completed their studies in the 2024/2025 academic year. The ceremony took place at the MUDAM Museum of Modern Art and coincided with the fifth anniversary of the project, which was launched in October 2020 as an emergency measure to support young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the programme has become a permanent feature of the Luxembourg education system. Since 2020, 485 participants have taken part, and the current 2024/2025 edition has 79 participants, of whom 66 have successfully completed the course and received certificates. Almost 60 per cent of them plan to continue their studies and 18 per cent plan to look for a job.

Diplom+ is intended for young people with a high school leaving certificate or a technical diploma who have not yet decided on their future or who have temporarily interrupted their university studies. Over three trimesters, participants develop both professional and life skills, and the training covers:

• trainings on time management, stress management, project management, first aid,
• practical units on cookery, programming, 3D design and data analysis,
• and an internship in a company where you can apply what you have learnt.

Each module is from 16 to 40 hours, with a test at the end. Certificate is issued upon successful completion of the modules and attendance of at least 80%.

The programme is adapting to the times: from the new academic year, the course will be shortened to one semester. Artificial Intelligence and learning strategies will be added to the core modules, and participants will be offered a choice of four new areas of study: management, digital technology, arts and social sciences.

Internships and career guidance tours are also provided to give participants a clearer picture of their future profession.

Applications for the autumn semester 2025/2026 are open from 1 July to 8 September 2025. The course itself will run from October to March, and the next course will run from February to July. All information, including registration and infosession dates, is available on the official website: diplomplus.lu.