On November 14th, 2024, EUROBIZ and EUROTECH were featured in the first “Germany on Campus” event, supported with a grant from the German Embassy in Washington D.C. and the CLAS, BUSN and ENGR schools and college. Since Connecticut is home to over 100 German companies (with New England hosting over 800) and Germany is Connecticut’s #1 economic partner, it was a great moment to start this initiative to connect students and potential employers. The event will take place every other year and brings together a closely connected group of stakeholders: the dual degree programs, EUROBIZ and EUROTECH, Experiential Global Learning who represent the long-standing Connecticut/Baden-Württemberg exchange program, career development at UConn, AdvanceCT, the German Research and Innovation Institute in New York City and a growing cluster of German companies from across the state.

UCONN Today highlights the recruiting of Dual Degree Majors for German companies:

“Companies Look to UConn to Help Fill Global Workforce Shortage

Sarah Worden is the senior director of human resources at ebm-papst, a high-tech German company that designs fans, refrigerator systems, and other air ventilation devices for large companies, including Amazon, Meta, Trane and Lennox. The company has facilities in Farmington. Worden says she had only recently learned about the UConn programs, and was attending the event in search of talent and connections.

‘Having exposure to German companies and German life absolutely would set someone apart as a job candidate, and would add tremendous benefit to our organization,’ she says. ‘We’re very happy to be here.’’

Ted Fisher, senior director of business development and advanced manufacturing at AdvanceCT, noted that there is a global workforce shortage, and that smart UConn students are very much in demand not only nationally but around the world. Precision manufacturing remains a strength in the state of Connecticut, he says.”

For more information, read the entire article here.

The German Studies news blog is a great resource to learn more about what is going on in German Studies. Since 2018, it features events, student and faculty accomplishments, internship experiences and portraits of alums – and much more! At almost 10,000 hits, it has become an important resource about the German Studies program at UConn. Feel free to contact anke.finger@uconn.edu for more information.

The history of German citizenship is complex, and following numerous changes to its laws in the last two decades, the so-called “Ampel Coalition” is updating the rules for citizenship to fit today’s German cultures and societies:

The government plans to make people eligible for citizenship after five years in Germany, or three in case of “special integration accomplishments,” rather than eight or six years at present. German-born children would automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years, down from eight years now.

Restrictions on holding dual citizenship will also be dropped. In principle, most people from countries other than European Union members and Switzerland now have to give up their previous nationality when they gain German citizenship, though there are some exemptions.

Read the full article here. More information is available at DW.

“I signed up for the VW case competition because I was looking for an opportunity to test my teamwork skills when it comes to a topic that I had not learned about previously and working with very different people. In my group, I got the opportunity to work with a fellow UConn student and two Mannheim University students from Germany. It was very fun and interesting being able to hear the different perspectives and also how what we are learning in different countries can also be very similar. Overall, I think it is very important everyone takes the opportunity to participate in at least one case competition in college to work on your teamwork skills. I think this is what made my group so successful, as we were able to meet on several occasions, split up the work accordingly but always help each other when we were stuck with our section.” (Sophia Ruelle, Eurobiz Student)

For more information about the competition, please visit the uconngerman newsblog!

Congratulations, Sophia!

 

As Germany is in need of more and more diverse workers and employees, the new German government is planning to do away with some obstacles to naturalization. Read the full plan here. The coalition also has a site up to find out how to Make it in Germany.

With the new “Ampel” government in place, German business leaders and media are calling for an increased focus on and efforts to support diversity in German-speaking businesses at home and abroad. The Deutsche Welle team summarized the article linked below and has some footage to share from the conference:

Decision-makers from business, science and politics in Germany are at the annual Diversity conference to show their commitment to an inclusive workplace. But many attendees complained that the country is lagging behind.

Read the full article here.