Christoph Schweizer, Dual student Bachlor of Arts Bussiness Administration Industry
How did you find us?
I had my first contact with UZIN UTZ through an excursion with my former school. During this excursion we were shown the company UZIN UTZ in a very extensive and interesting factory tour. This allowed me to get a first impression and gather a lot of impressions. On the basis of these experiences, I obtained further information and finally came to my decision regarding an application.
How many apprentices are currently in Ulm and what can you tell us about the company?
At the moment we are 12 commercial and 13 commercial trainees at the group headquarters in Ulm. There are 6 dual students among the commercial trainees.
All trainees and dual students meet once a week to work together at JuzinIOR, UZIN UTZ's apprentice company. The company's structure is based on that of a stock corporation, so JuzinIOR clarifies the processes in a group to us as a junior employee and at the same time promotes independent action and entrepreneurial thinking.
What is the change between the theoretical and practical phases like? Which departments do you work in?
The change between theory and practice takes place regularly at intervals of three months. This constant change makes the course of studies very varied.
As business administration students in the field of industry, we pass through all the relevant departments that are necessary for the coordination of an industrial company. These include departments such as Marketing, Materials Management, Controlling, Accounting and Human Resources, to name just a few examples. Nevertheless, we also get insights into production or research & development. These "unfamiliar" insights are intended to promote an understanding of cross-departmental processes.
To what extent does your studies prepare you for everyday work?
By combining theory and practice, the dual course of study provides the ideal basis for your future day-to-day work. In most cases, this differs greatly from the knowledge acquired in the theoretical phase at the DHBW. In the operative business, the focus of the activities is not necessarily on the study contents, but other factors also play a major role. One of these decisive factors is, for example, dealing with colleagues and business partners in day-to-day business transactions.
The interview was conducted in July 2018.
Basically, the dual study programme is the optimal preparation for everyday work by alternating between theory and practice, as in addition to specialist knowledge, the competences for coping with operative tasks are also imparted.
How would you describe your everyday life at DHBW?
The everyday life at the DHBW can be strongly compared to classical school lessons. The courses have a size of 25 to 30 students, whereby the individual student has a very close contact to his fellow students. In addition, it has the advantage that the students can better ask questions to the lecturer and thus enjoy a much more individual support.
As a rule, three different lectures take place on one day, so that three different subjects are covered on one lecture day, which makes everyday life at the university very varied and entertaining.
In addition to the lectures, the DHBW regularly organises voluntary events, such as language courses or seminars on preparing tax returns.
What makes working at Uzin Utz SE so special?
I find the personal atmosphere unique. The reputation of a family business not only precedes UZIN UTZ, but is lived every day. The family working conditions go hand in hand with the enormous esteem in which we are held for students to be trained and dual students. In every department that we go through, we spend a lot of time explaining all procedures and processes in detail. This gives us a perfect insight into UZIN UTZ during our training.