Event details
On the Road Together: KIA Students and Deutsche Bahn Kick Off the New Academic Year
To kick off the new academic year, the new KIA students went on a two-day field trip together with participants from the DB Elektro division. Eleven new KIA students are beginning their studies this winter semester at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences as part of the partnership with Deutsche Bahn.
On August 28, the field trip began with a joint tour of a Deutsche Bahn ICE manufacturing plant. The participants gained fascinating insights into technical practices and were able to experience the wide range of tasks and processes involved in the operation and maintenance of modern rail vehicles.
In the afternoon, part of the group went on a hike together. In addition to gaining technical insights, this provided an especially good opportunity to strike up conversations and get to know one another better outside the context of their daily studies and work.
On the second day, the participants gathered for a barbecue at Olbersdorfer See. The gathering also served as the annual KIA meeting with Deutsche Bahn. In a relaxed atmosphere, the new students, experienced KIA participants from the DB Elektro division, and representatives from the university and Deutsche Bahn were able to exchange ideas. In addition to getting to know one another personally, the annual meeting provided a space to share experiences from academic and professional life, discuss current topics related to the partnership, and further strengthen direct contact between the university, industry partners, and students.
Deutsche Bahn has been an important partner of the KIA (sandwich-style) degree course at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences for many years. The collaboration begins as early as the academic and career orientation phase.
Through DB ELEKTRO, for example, Deutsche Bahn and the university offer a joint program for high school students starting in 10th grade. Interested students gain insights into Deutsche Bahn’s technology, meet engineers, and get hands-on experience with technology. At the same time, they learn about the opportunities for a dual degree program with Deutsche Bahn and Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences—without having to make a commitment just yet.
Programs like these establish early connections between high school, the university, and the professional world, and highlight the diverse career prospects offered by technical degree programmes.
Personal interaction also plays an important role during one’s studies. That is why the university is particularly committed to actively nurturing and further developing its long-standing, trusting partnership with Deutsche Bahn. The annual KIA meeting is a key component of this effort.
The two-day field trip provided an excellent setting for this: experiencing technology, sharing experiences, and strengthening the sense of community.
A heartfelt thank you goes to Prof. Patricia Stange, who helped ensure the success of the meeting by organizing the beach shelter and providing many important organizational information.
We would also like to thank Oliver Krause for his dedicated communication and reliable coordination with Deutsche Bahn.
Special thanks go to Jörg Hoffmann of Deutsche Bahn. Our long-standing, trusting relationship with him is a vital part of our partnership and plays a key role in ensuring that the exchange between the university, students, and the professional world functions so reliably and in a spirit of partnership.
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