On September 27, the Cooperative Study Program with Integrated Training - KIA celebrated its 20th anniversary.
On September 27, theCooperative Study Program with Integrated Training - KIAat the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since 1997, the dual study program has combined students with everyday working life in well-known companies.
Rector Friedrich Albrecht gave the opening words at the ceremony in the Historic Citizens' Hall of Zittau Town Hall: "20 years of KIA training at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is a good example of how companies and universities can work together in the triple interest. With the annual KIA students, the university benefits from a reliable number of students, just as the companies benefit from a growing number of employees and the students themselves benefit from a double degree."
Loosely based on Henry Ford's quote: "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success", companions from politics, business and society then looked back on the many years of cooperation between the coordinators and participants of the dual study program and their corporate partners.
Zittau's Lord Mayor Thomas Zenker offered his congratulations to the KIA (sandwich-style) degree course with: "Health, happiness and serenity". He went on to say that in times of social change and a shortage of skilled workers, educational products such as KIA are constants that offer young people good opportunities for great careers thanks to their wealth of experience and practical relevance. This is also an important factor when it comes to counteracting the current demographic trend.
"When we talk about KIA, we are talking about above-average success," Tanja Neigenfind is certain. The Head of Training/Personnel Development at Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke AG is convinced of the dual training concept and the quality of the apprenticeship and looked back on many years of fruitful partnership in her speech. She highlighted the training association founded in 2007 as an "important pillar for the success of the KIA (sandwich-style) degree course".
In 1997, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was the first Saxon university of applied sciences to launch its dual KIA program. Since then, around 1,400 students have found their way in the cooperative study program with integrated training ("KIA"). They start their professional careers in one of the more than 50 KIA partner companies nationwide, from regional SMEs to global players. The graduation rate for students is over 90 percent. The KIA+ pilot project for secondary school leavers was launched in 2008 and, with the introduction of KIApro in 2009, skilled workers are also given the opportunity to take part in needs-based, in-service training without losing touch with their company. Since then, these and other forms of cooperative study such as KIAweb have been leading their graduates to dual success.
Hartmut Paetzold, KIA Officer of the Rector: "I think that 20 years of KIA's success is mainly due to the fact that we have always geared our innovations to the needs of companies. Our joint work secures the next generation of specialists and managers for the partner companies. The KIA network with its communication between partners is the most important guarantor of this."
Text: Cornelia Rothe, M.A.
