For the eighth time, hochschule dual, Bavaria's network for dual studies, together with the vbw, the Bavarian Business Association, and the Bavarian metal and electrical employers' associations bayme vbm, honored outstanding achievements in dual studies. At the award ceremony in the Literaturhaus in Munich, Markus Blume, Minister of State for Science and the Arts, together with Dr. Christof Prechtl, Deputy Chief Executive of bayme vbm vbw, and Prof. Dr. Robert Ott, Scientific Director of hochschule dual, presented the awards, each worth 3,000 euros.
More than 180 graduates of a dual study program responded to the call for applications. A jury from the worlds of business and academia selected the winners, taking into account not only their excellent academic achievements but also their commitment during their studies and their further involvement, such as voluntary work or a stay abroad. Not an easy task given the large number of excellent applications. The résumés of the applicants made it clear how much the dual study program benefits both students and practice partners.
All award winners see the great advantage of dual studies in the combination of theory and practice. Jan Wellhöfer, a master's graduate from THI, emphasizes: "The practical phases serve to further career identification and make subsequent career entry much easier." Elke Heimgärtner-Geier, Managing Director of Collomix GmbH, Wellhöfer's practical partner, also emphasizes the advantage of a dual study program: "By offering a dual master's program, a company gets top-qualified and highly motivated young people who can bring great added value. They are the skilled workers of tomorrow, and you want to keep them in the company."
In addition to Wellhöfer, Daniel Hellmich (electrical engineering and information technology) and Simone Huber (civil engineering) were honored in the "Compound Studies" category, as were Leonie Nerf (social work) and Lena Schneyder (mechanical engineering) in the "Studies with In-depth Practice - Bachelor" category.