A shuttle that has been connecting for 20 years

On September 27, the Cooperative Study Program with Integrated Training (KIA) at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since 1997, the dual study program has connected students with everyday professional life at renowned companies.

Rector Friedrich Albrecht delivered the opening remarks at the ceremony in the Historic Citizens’ Hall of Zittau City Hall: “Twenty years of KIA training at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is a good example of collaboration between businesses and the university that serves the interests of all three parties. With the annual intake of KIA students, the university benefits from a reliable student body, just as the companies benefit from a growing workforce, and the students themselves benefit from a dual degree.”

Echoing Henry Ford’s quote—"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success”—representatives from politics, business, and civil society then looked back on the long-standing collaboration between the coordinators and staff of the dual degree programme and their corporate partners.

Zittaus’ Mayor Thomas Zenker offered very specific congratulations to the KIA (sandwich-style) degree course with the words: “Health, happiness, and serenity.” In times of social change and a shortage of skilled workers, he continued, educational programs like KIA serve as constants that offer young people good prospects for successful careers by allowing them to draw on a wealth of experience and practical knowledge. This is also, not least, an important factor in counteracting current demographic trends.

“When we talk about KIA, we’re talking about above-average success,” Tanja Neigenfind stated with certainty. The Head of Training and Human Resources Development at Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke AG is convinced of the dual training concept and the quality of instruction, and in her commemorative speech she looked back on a long-standing and fruitful partnership. She highlighted the training network, founded in 2007, as “an important pillar for the success of the KIA (sandwich-style) degree course.”

In 1997, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences became the first university of applied sciences in Saxony to launch its dual KIA program. Since then, approximately 1,400 students have found their path through the Cooperative Study with Integrated Training (KIA) degree course. They begin their professional careers at one of more than 50 KIA partner companies nationwide, ranging from regional small and medium-sized businesses to global players. The graduation rate for students is over 90 percent. In 2008, the _KIA+ pilot project for secondary school graduates was launched, and with the introduction of_KIApro in 2009, skilled workers also gained the opportunity for needs-based continuing education while working, without losing their connection to their company. These and other forms of cooperative study, such as_KIAweb, have since been leading their graduates along a dual path to success.

Hartmut Paetzold, the Rector’s KIA officer: “I believe that the key to 20 years of KIA’s success lies primarily in the fact that we have always aligned our innovations with the needs of businesses. Our joint efforts ensure that partner companies have a steady supply of young specialists and future leaders. The KIA network, with its communication among partners, is the most important guarantee of this.”

Text: Cornelia Rothe, M.A.