​​Maties Mechanical and Mechatronic (M&M) Engineering third-year students now have an excellent opportunity to broaden their knowledge and horizons with the new "gap year" that was introduced in 2018. This involves studying at a German university for a semester followed by an internship at a German company for six months.

"The idea is that M&M students can interrupt their studies at the end of their third year to do supplementary studies at one of six universities in Germany. During the semester they have to look out and apply for an internship at a German company," says Prof Kristiaan Schreve, Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University.

Prof Schreve continues: "This opportunity is exclusively for M&M Engineering students and our department supports it strongly. It was made possible by the good relationships we have maintained with German universities over the years."

The division Stellenbosch University International also plays a pivotal role in the exchange programme. Sarah van der Westhuizen, Programme Coordinator: Semester Mobility at SU International, says: "This is really a very important initiative for us on two levels: Firstly, it promotes the internationalisation of the curriculum, and secondly, the international experience adds value to the students' degrees. The value of the experience is captured in the increased employability of the students, but also on a personal growth level." 

The two M&M students who are the first to do the German Gap Year, Carike Anker and Peter Toulouras, have much praise for this initiative. "I have been having the time of my life in Germany! My experience at Reutlingen Hochschule has been wonderful," exclaims Ms Anker. Mr Toulouras affirms her sentiment: "So far my experience has been incredible. I have developed a much stronger passion and connection to my industry and it has provided me with clarity with respect to the direction I want my career to head towards." 

Ms Anker tells more about her international adventure. "Reutlingen is very geared towards international students, since about 20% of their students are non-German. On my dorm floor of 18 people, only three are German citizens. The classes at Reutlingen are much smaller than in Stellenbosch, which was something to get used to, but a positive experience. Reutlingen's lecturers are required to spend a certain amount of time in industry before being allowed to teach there, and in my experience, this really shows in their teaching style. It's a lot more practical and industry orientated than it is academic. Reutlingen is a technical university, so all students have to do a practical semester. As such, they have an extensive career fair where I got all the information I needed to apply for internships."

Ms Anker will be doing her internship at Bielomatik, and engineering consulting company that provides solutions for plastic welding and lubrications technology. "The internship is paid and structured in such a way that I receive relevant training for every project I work on. During my internship I will work on various projects."

Mr Toulouras shares his experience: "My host university, Technische Hochshule Ingolstadt THI, is amazing and very accommodating towards exchange students. It is a great place to come and learn about engineering in the practical sense. All students are required to complete an internship, therefore the University hosts job fair events where hundreds of companies attend. It is a great place to get exposure to different companies and to find an internship. I am doing my internship at Airbus in the Space and Defence department. I would highly recommend the German Gap Year."

Ms Anker agrees wholeheartedly when she says: "I highly recommend the German Gap Year. In the last semester I have learned a lot about myself and the direction I want my career to go into. I look forward to learning even more during my internship. The year this added to my studies is already worth it. On a non-academic note, I have also made lifelong friends with people from all over the world. It's also really easy and relatively cheap to travel to other European countries if you're based in Germany, and the chance to visit some of the places I've visited is priceless!"

Prof Schreve concludes: "Over and above the international exposure that our students enjoy with their German Gap Year, there is another advantage. The six universities that we collaborate with are surrounded by large companies such as Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Audi, BMW and Bosch. Many companies in the area also have branch offices in South Africa, so doing an internship at a German company may lead to possible employment opportunities in South Africa for the students."

See the Blog link to the students' feedback HERE.

Photo: 

Carike Anker (fourth from the right, with the white blouse) with her fellow students during an international dinner in her dormitory.