The coronavirus pandemic is making it difficult for many graduates to enter the job market. The Corona Graduate Program at the Innovation Campus Mobility of the Future (ICM) of the University of Stuttgart and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) provides support for prospective engineers. Up to 80 graduates from both universities can be temporarily employed at the universities, work on projects and gain further qualifications. The focus is on uncomplicated admission and individual support. Around 20 graduates have taken part in the program so far. Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science Theresia Bauer will share her initial experiences with them in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
"Supporting the graduates of our universities as they enter the job market, which has been made more difficult by the pandemic, is a key concern for me and the Ministry of Science. With the graduate program of the InnovationCampus Mobility of the Future, we are creating an attractive environment: prospective engineers can work on innovative research and cooperation projects with companies and gain important experience in the process. The time between graduation and entering professional life is thus optimally bridged," says Minister of Science Theresia Bauer.
"The program ideally supports the participants in this difficult phase of starting their careers: they can gain experience close to science and practice in research projects or in cooperation with companies. In addition, they can contribute to new innovative projects in the enormously important future topic of mobility," says Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs at KIT.
"The graduating classes particularly affected by the effects of the pandemic now need quick and uncomplicated support. With the bridging offered at the university, we can ensure that the skills graduates have acquired during their studies can be maintained and further developed. The InnovationCampus Mobility of the Future offers ideal conditions for this," says the Vice-Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the University of Stuttgart, Professor Peter Middendorf.
Corona graduate program of the ICM
The aim of the graduate program is, on the one hand, to provide participants with further training and qualifications to improve their personal prospects during and after the coronavirus pandemic. By means of an individual qualification program, which the management of the ICM sets up for the graduates together with the supervising institute at the respective university, they deepen their specific specialist knowledge as well as their soft skills for applications and presentations or in project management. The program is also intended to prevent a shortage of skilled workers by using the corona-related crisis period to gain further qualifications in the future topic of mobility and the associated production. Graduates can make targeted contacts through industry-related projects. Should career alternatives arise, these take priority over employment within the framework of the program.
In order to support graduates quickly, approval and employment can be processed very quickly. The first employment contracts were signed just one month after the program was published. There are currently still around 60 vacancies in the ICM's graduate program. Applications are also open to international graduates who completed their last degree in Baden-Württemberg. Further information can be found on the program's website: www.ausschreibungen.icm-bw.de
The InnovationCampus Mobility of the Future
The aim of the ICM is to create new, groundbreaking technologies. Launched in July 2019 and funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg with around 65 million euros, the ICM focuses on emission-free drives, digitally supported production and manufacturing technologies as well as the networking of mobility. At the same time, the ICM aims to attract and support excellent young researchers and promote start-ups from science.
Further information on the ICM website: www.icm-bw.de
