The School of Management, IT and Governance held an information session for students keen on embarking on a student exchange programme for studying and doing an internship in Germany.
This opportunity, made possible with scholarships by the Erasmus Student and Staff Mobility programme, aims at facilitating international academic exchange through credit mobility between European and non-European countries.
At RheinAhrCampus of the University of Applied Sciences Koblenz, Germany, international exchange students from all around the world are hosted as exchange students and interns in the beautiful city of Remagen on the River Rhine in Germany.
Dr Laurence Borgmann, Director of Languages/International Affairs and Erasmus Co-ordinator at RheinAhrCampus visited UKZN with an eight-week teaching scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service and taught Business Communication classes at the Howard College, Westville, and Pietermaritzburg campuses. During his visit, Borgmann has multidisciplinary engagements with the School of Management, IT and Governance and the School of Chemistry and Physics. At the information session he spoke about how his scholarship project could add value to the careers and the personal growth of UKZN students.
Targeted at undergraduate students, the programme offers a fully credited semester abroad experience where students get to immerse themselves in the different business practices, cultures and perspectives offered at a European institution while engaging in best practices and seeing what they can bring back to their own universities. Borgmann’s initiative, the GreenErasmus, seeks to reduce carbon emissions and provide an environmentally sustainable way of achieving internationalisation without leaving a big carbon footprint.
Borgmann said: ‘Our exchange programme and scholarship offered in English is not limited to students with the best grades at their home universities. We evaluate the candidates’ potential to grow their business skills, their ability to show initiative, their entrepreneurial spirit and their hunger for personal change.’
The scholarship offers enough money to cover expenses including accommodation, meals, travel visas, as well as an internship opportunity to gain hands-on office experience. RheinAhrCampus is based in a central location in Europe, offering students the opportunity to travel and explore at least five to 10 other European countries by train during the weekends.
Borgmann said the opportunity for growth as a member of the programme lay in gaining a different perspective, improved career prospects, a global network of friends, experiencing diversity and soft skills training.
Prospective students need to get nominated by UKZN to study for a semester abroad and after nomination apply directly to the RheinAhrCampus for the Study and Internship Scholarship Programme by writing a motivational letter and CV, going through an online interview process, signing a learning agreement and acceptance form that grants the student access to the Erasmus scholarship.
Borgmann said to win a place and a scholarship, students needed to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of RheinAhrCampus and the Erasmus programme
- Share their own specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for their stay
- Tailor their applications to their own ambition, their host university and the Erasmus aims
- Share their story including their passion, challenges, expected impact and ambition
- Showcase their previous challenges and learning curves
- Show the personal investment they have made for this learning adventure
From UKZN’s side, Mrs Preshantha Reddy, a Student Exchange/Study Abroad co-ordinator from the University’s International Relations Office, encouraged students to access student mobility programmes by visiting the University’s Notice system, the Embassy and the Department of Higher Education and Training websites, and being a part of the International Relations Office database.
She shared some of the requirements for the study abroad applications which include a CV, motivational letter, reference letter from academic supervisor, academic record, proof of registration, passport and confirmation of a supervisor at the host university.
Reddy said the application process entailed a nomination from UKZN and application to the host university, an interview, shortlisting process, letter of acceptance from the International Relations Office, visa application, travel and accommodation arrangements, as well as a pre-departure orientation.
Professor Thea van der Westhuizen Academic Leader: High Impact Community Engagement and Internationalisation at the School of Management, IT and Governance said the students chosen for the programme were expected to represent South Africa and UKZN well by living out the Institutions Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Client orientation, Honesty and Trust (REACHT) values.
‘The qualities of entrepreneurs include being able take risks, being innovative and being able to identify opportunities. And so, we urge you to take that risk and be innovative in your application because this is an opportunity of a life-time that will put you ahead in your careers and inspire huge personal growth,’ van der Westhuizen said.
To be notified when applications open for this scholarship programme visit the UKZN Notice System and contact Mrs Preshantha Reddy, Student Exchange/Study Abroad co-ordinator to be added to the International Office student database.
Words: Hlengiwe Khwela
Photograph: Nduduzo Duma