China Trainee Program at German Institutes of Higher Education - German-Chinese Cooperation for Student Affairs

A program offered by the German National Association for Student Affairs and the Robert Bosch Stiftung

“The China Trainee Program at German institutes of higher education is an exciting initiative for building long-term networks between Germany and China in the education and university sectors, and is therefore an important element in improving international understanding.”
Professor Joachim Rogall, PhD, Department Head

Young employees in positions of authority at Chinese universities complete a six-month trainee program at German institutes of higher education. They are required to have prior experience of studying abroad, knowledge of the German language, and intercultural competence.

The trainees are given a work placement by the local association for student affairs, and are assigned a mentor who monitors their progress. Individual visitation plans first allow the trainee to gain an inside view of various institutions involved in the integration of Chinese students (associations for student affairs, academic foreign offices, departments with a large number of Chinese students, etc.). The trainees are subsequently placed in the university’s departments, which, based on need and available opportunities, promise to be the most effective learning and working environment. The trainees are made aware of cultural differences, they overcome prejudices, promote communication between all those involved, and develop their own projects to improve the academic success of Chinese students.

The goal of the trainee program is to increase the amount of Chinese students who successfully complete their studies, and to improve their integration in Germany. In order to achieve these aims, specific measures must be developed both to more efficiently prepare students in China and to better support them in Germany, and knowledge and experience must be transferred between the two countries. Eight spaces are available in 2011/2012.

The trainees will obtain additional qualifications in the field of student affairs, and will acquire key qualifications in the areas of project management, intercultural competence, and international relations. They will also expand their specialist knowledge of the German language. As “knowledge multipliers,” the young leaders will establish long-term cooperative contacts between China and Germany. In addition, they will support a sustained transfer of knowledge, and will establish a global network in the areas of higher learning, student affairs, and academic mobility.