The main goal of the project is to further improve the academic success of international students and to prepare them early on for the German labor market. “In our experience, three out of four international students at the University of Mannheim want to work in Germany after they graduate,” says Angela Dörflinger from the team for international degree-seeking students of the International Office, which applied for the DAAD funding. “It makes me very happy that we are now able to support our students even better in the final phase of their studies and when starting a career in Germany.”
Dörflinger and her team support about 1,000 international students at the University of Mannheim. Two-thirds of these students are enrolled in master’s programs which are taught in English. As part of the “Made in Mannheim” project, twelve measures aimed at improving the academic success of international students and at helping them at the start of their career will be implemented. These include German language courses with career-related content, advice and workshops on the subject of job applications, the opportunity to network with so-called “career peers” – international alumni of the university from whose experiences students can benefit – as well as “future skills” courses that address the specifics of working in international teams and teach self-marketing strategies on social media platforms.
The “Made in Mannheim – FIT for Studies and Careers“ project started on 1 April and will run until the end of 2028. In total, more than 150 project proposals were submitted to the DAAD and 89 proposals were selected for funding.