Careers advisors give young people guidance and help them make decisions about their professional future. Getting to know universities of Applied Sciences in person is also important for this, as it allows the counselors to get an impression of the place and the study atmosphere. Recently, 64 counselors from employment agencies throughout Baden-Württemberg and neighboring Bavaria were guests at Aalen University of Applied Sciences. The aim of the event was to give them a comprehensive insight into the University of Applied Sciences' Study Programmes, research areas and cooperation opportunities.
Immerse yourself in the university cosmos
Career guidance meets practical relevance: From pitches on degree programs to lab tours, from innovative teaching formats to regional networks and start-up support for students wanting to found a company - career counselors from all over Baden-Württemberg and neighboring Bavaria immersed themselves in the cosmos of Aalen University of Applied Sciences for a day. The University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, the University of Applied Sciences Schwäbisch Gmünd and the Cooperative State University Heidenheim also presented themselves at the event. "We are delighted with the great interest shown by careers advisors at the Universities of Applied Sciences in our region. The response shows how important the personal exchange among each other is. And it is a great opportunity to make our application-oriented Study Programmes tangible", said the two organizers Eveline Rettenmeier and Dr. Antonia Giewekemeyer from the Central Student Advisory Service at Aalen University of Applied Sciences.
"I soak up everything so that I can pass it on later"
One of the 64 careers advisors was Milena Mayer, an employee of the Karlsruhe-Rastatt Employment Agency. Only a month ago, she took over the counseling for teenagers and young adults. Before that, she had advised older adults who were no longer satisfied with their job and were looking for a change. "Working with young people is really, really valuable. It's great to be able to start earlier now and work with them to - hopefully - set the right course for their professional future," said the graduate HR manager. As the university landscape is huge, she is happy about all the information she can get. "When you've been on site, you can talk about it in a completely different way than in theory. I soak up everything so that I can pass it on later," says Maier with a mischievous smile. Her Bavarian colleagues take a similar view. "We are very grateful that there is an event like this. It gives us access to information that is otherwise not so easy to obtain," said Christian Hieber from the Donauwörth employment agency. "It's great for us. The short pitches are particularly helpful, as they give you an insight into numerous degree courses," agreed his colleague Stefanie Künast.
Chatting out of the family sewing box
The careers advisors were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Anja Dieckmann, Vice-Rector of Aalen University of Applied Sciences: "This exchange with you is very important to us. We want to show young people the diversity of our programs and that we can offer them a great, modern education that is also in demand on the job market." In a good mood, Dieckmann chatted a little from the "family sewing box", as her husband is also a careers advisor. "What I've taken away from my conversations at home is that the challenges facing both universities of Applied Sciences and careers advisors are very similar: namely to inspire young people." After her brief presentation of the University of Applied Sciences, with a particular focus on its great research strength, which students also benefit from in the form of excellently equipped laboratories, as well as its outstanding positions in teaching rankings or the "start-up radar", Ekin Bulmak took the floor. She presented Aalen University of Applied Sciences to the career advisors from a student perspective. The young woman is studying Mechanical Engineering / Economy | Management in her seventh semester and is involved in the WiR. ("Women as inspiring Role Models"), which aims to get pupils interested in science and technology. What's particularly great is that it's easy to get a taste of the labs and work there as a student assistant. "That's how I ended up at the LaserApplicationCenter (LAZ) at Aalen University of Applied Sciences and am now even writing my Bachelor's thesis there," said Bulmak enthusiastically. "The informal, appreciative atmosphere and the fact that the lecturers are always approachable is also a big plus. You're not a number here, you study in a community!"
An entertaining day
As part of their visit, the careers advisors were also given guided tours of various laboratories at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, including the laboratories of the Center for Optical Technologies (ZOT), the free-field room of Audiology and Hearing Acoustics and the laboratory of the Human Centricity department. "The day at Aalen University of Applied Sciences was very entertaining and I will take many impressions with me for my future consultations," summarized Jutta Brodbeck from the Schwäbisch Hall employment agency. "We received consistently positive feedback," said a delighted Eveline Rettenmeier. "The pitches in particular were very well received as a form of entertaining information transfer." And her colleague Antonia Giewekemeyer added: "The advantages of the regional Universities of Applied Sciences as familiar and 'small but nice' were also repeatedly picked up on by the participants."
