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Dovetailing theory and practice for the new generation of academics
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The expression “Hettich Experience” sums up an initiative to couple theory and practice as part of an engineering or business degree. In close cooperation between Hettich and he universities of applied sciences in Bielefeld and Lemgo, students can extend their theoretical knowledge with practical experience in an industrial company. Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences completed a pilot phase during the summer of 2007 and the project is now continuing. The University of East Westphalia-Lippe in Lemgo is about to embark on a trial cooperation for one semester. We interviewed Professor Dr.-Ing. Ralf Hörstmeier of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Villmer of the Department of Production at the University of East Westphalia-Lippe and Jörg Hesse, Director of Corporate Human Resources for the Hettich Group.
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| Linking theory and practice in cooperative training projects brings advantages for both sides. But not every company meets the requirements of such an initiative. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Hörstmeier of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences lists the attributes of the ideal cooperation partner: “Important is an ample range of engineering disciplines and structured procedures in human resources management. In addition, both company management and the company staff who are actually involved must be willing to take account of the needs of the university and the students and to provide motivational supervisionfor the project groups.”
Prof. Hörstmeier concedes that this type of cooperation also represents a substantial commitment of time, effort and money by the company. Depending on the number of participants, the size of the groups, and on the projects and processes, labour costs and overheads for the company are not negligible. Prof. Hörstmeier: “The level of commitment depends on a number of factors. If the company sees the project as a means of making a preliminary selection of future employees, they will be more inclined to invest in the project. Contact with the university and the young engineers will need to be more intensive in order to provide a sound basis for future staffing decisions.This type of project is a good opportunity for a company to raise its profi le with potential employees, and to communicate information about itself and its values. It’s also a chance for the company to get to know future engineers at an early stage and in depth.” |
Positive results of pilot project
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The students, for their part, learn how a company works and how varied engineers’ jobs actually can be. They build contacts with company employees and learn about other opportunities
for practical or overseas experience or to complete their final thesis. And, as Prof. Hörstmeier pointed out, participation in the project – attested to by the completion certifi cate – can
improve their chances of getting the job they want.
His comments were based on an evaluation of an initial project phase, in which 33 students in six mentored groups tackled six different projects. Prof. Hörstmeier: “Preselection of the
students brought positive results. All the project goals were achieved and some ten students went on to undertake further activities with the company. But we also came to the conclusion
that future projects would benefi t from a process of continuous improvement. All those involved have said they’re willing to work towards this improvement.”
Prof. Hörstmeier explained that although the project work during the 6th semester had very little impact on the students’ final grades, it nonetheless added to their knowledge and their
understanding of procedures and key qualifi cations. He added: “The project didn’t have a major infl uence on career choices the students had already made, but it was noticeable that there
was a stronger orientation towards Hettich. Students were also more sharply aware of potential for improvement, especially in process organization and communication in future projects.” |
Another partner: the University of East Westphalia-Lippe
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| The completed pilot project with Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences is the basis for another cooperation project involving Hettich and the university of East Westphalia-Lippe. A discussion with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Villmer, the Vice President of Studies, Teaching and Quality Control at the Technical University of East Westphalia-Lippe, compared the expectations of the two projects. |
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Prof. Dr.-Ing.
Franz-Josef Villmer
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Prof. Villmer sets a high priority on choosing projects that met high quality criteria. He emphasized: “The topics must have a true project character and be capable of being organized and
carried out largely independently by the fourth-semester students.”
It became clear during the course of the discussion that thepreference is for industrial topics with a strong practical application and immediate interest for the students. “We are especially keen to establish cooperations with companies which could be potential employers of our graduates.”
Does Hettich meet these requirements? Prof. Villmer: “As a technology company using modern manufacturing and business processes, Hettich offers interesting, practice-oriented project topics. The company also provides supervision and training opportunities for the students that are far above average. The joint establishment of the project milestones and a participation in the interim and fi nal presentations is also planned. For this reason we particularly value the involvement of Hettich in this first pilot project.”
Prof. Villmer hopes for even more from the project, which is due to start shortly. “We believe that cooperation with Hettich, working on these projects, will lead the students to develop an increasingly professional approach, hone their decision-making skills and improve their ability to get things done.” This aspiration helps to explain why the University of East Westphalia-Lippe has invested so much effort in preparing the projects, which will be in the fi elds of production and economics. Not only will the project teams be supervised by a steering committee of professors and scientifi c assistants; the students come armed with project management skills, key qualifi cations and other “soft skills” taught by the University Institute of Skills Promotion.
Prof. Villmer pointed out that the advantages of the cooperation are not a one-way street. “Of course, Hettich can profi t from this cooperation too. On the one hand, there is the injection of
fresh creativity and new ideas, on the other hand, the company can profi t from the interdisciplinary nature of the teams. It is our experience that engineering students and business administration students work extremely effectively together in projects of this nature. Even though projects are by defi nition linked with a certain amount of risk, Hettich can make good use of them to explore topics which would not normally rank high on the priority ratings in the company’s daily operations.” |
Goals of the Hettich Group
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And what are the goals of the Hettich Group in its cooperation with universities? Jörg Hesse, Director of Corporate Human Resources for the Hettich Group, gave a conclusive answer:
“Primarily, our aim is to arrive at a closer, long-term dovetailing of degree courses and practical experience. Here in Germany, the ongoing reorganization of many courses leading to bachelor
and master degrees provides a whole range of opportunities for cooperation. Not that it wouldn’t have been possible before, but what is new is that universities are fi nding themselves competing to attract students. Their ability to offer prospective students attractive courses is more important than ever before. Moreover, demographic developments mean we will inevitably be facing a shrinking pool of qualifi ed candidates for the posts we want to fill. These two factors challenge us to develop cooperation models like this in order to inspire young people with enthusiasm for our company.” |
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Jörg Hesse,
Hettich’s Corporate Human Resources Manager
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The pilot project with Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences is over. Prof. Hörstmeier spoke of a continuing learning process and further projects. The cooperation with the University of East Westphalia-Lippe is just starting. Expectations at the beginning are high. Will Hettich’s basic approach to these cooperations change or have the initial projects set the direction for the future?
Hesse: “We plan to increase the number of universities participating in the scheme. We are thinking of introducing a competitive element and we won’t be concentrating only on engineering undergraduates. After the pilot phase last year, we are sure that we are heading in the right direction. Everyone concerned has defi nitely learned a great deal about the practicalities of running this sort of project, and we have profi ted from a number of interesting suggestions and solutions. A number of the students who took part in the scheme have gone on to do more intensive internships with the company. Some are even writing their fi nal thesis on Hettich related topics. Our main goals in future will be to get to know talented students in this way, to offer them an attractive insight into our company and to encourage them to start their careers at Hettich.
Jörg Hesse summarized the goals of the Hettich Group as follows: “The cooperations aim mainly at the acquisition of skills and techniques and improving social competence, both of which
are more necessary than ever in a professional context. A good degree is always only one of the things we consider when we are evaluating candidates to join our teams. We like to get to
know other sides of our applicants too. After all, in future we shall need the very best of the younger generation.” |
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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Hörstmeier
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| Hesse: “We plan to increase the number of universities participating in the scheme. We are thinking of introducing a competitive element and we won’t be concentrating only on engineering undergraduates. After the pilot phase last year, we are sure that we are heading in the right direction. Everyone concerned has defi nitely learned a great deal about the practicalities of running this sort of project, and we have profi ted from a number of interesting suggestions and solutions. A number of the students who took part in the scheme have gone on to do more intensive internships with the company. Some are even writing their fi nal thesis on Hettichrelated topics. Our main goals in future will be to get to know talented students in this way, to offer them an attractive insight into our company and to encourage them to start their careers at Hettich. |
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