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Career promotion
Mid-November it is traditionally called "3 Days of Transport and Trafic" at the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences at TU Dresden. As always, the career fair "KontaktMesse Verkehr" kicked things off on 10. November.
For the past 15 years, the fair has offered yearly around 40 companies from the fields of traffic, transport and mobility the opportunity to introduce themselves to students from the faculty and related fields such as electrical engineering or mechanical engineering and to recruit them as potential junior staff. The organisation and supervision of the fair is in the hands of the faculty's alumni association, "Spätverkehr e.V.", actively supported by the Transport Student Council. During this year's fair, the Verkehrslage editorial team captured the voices of various exhibiting companies.
The Basler Verkehrsbetriebe, represented by Tobias Renner, among others, not only offered students internships, theses and traineeships, but also showed entry-level opportunities in their company. The Swiss company was already at the fair for the third time, which is of great importance for the company. It is particularly suitable for recruiting students as tomorrow's junior staff and is also important for general networking. An example of the former is Tobias Renner himself. He studied transport and traffic sciences at the TU. In 2020, he wrote his diploma thesis at Basler Verkehrsbetriebe and has already been working there full-time in the area of service planning for 2.5 years.
Trade fair is of central importance for exhibiting companies
The Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main GmbH, represented at the fair by Ms Wild as well as Mr Jekio and Mr Denninghoff, hoped that their presence would attract the attention of the students to the company. In addition, of course, it was always about student recruiting. However, this is mostly done locally in the Rhine-Main area. Internships or theses are more likely to be offered in response to speculative enquiries. The company was at the career fair for the fifth time. This is important because it is outside the usual local catchment area for young people.
Representatives Hernandez, Fuchs and Kurtzke from WSP Infrastructure Engineering GmbH presented railway models for interested students who have a "will and passion for railways". The fair was primarily about student recruiting. Also on offer: internships, theses and even follow-up jobs for graduates. WSP has been present at the KontaktMesse Verkehr every year for eleven years, at the beginning under a different name (IVV Ingenieurgesellschaft für Verkehrsplanung und Verkehrssicherung GmbH (IVV GmbH)). The fair is of central importance for WPS because it is there that initial contact is made with students and concrete career ideas (job, professional requirements and profile) are conveyed. Two transport science graduates already work at WPS.
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
Impressions of the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr – Tour with Dean Prof. Regine Gerike
The representatives of Deutsche Bahn AG, Thomas and Hellwig, also used the fair to recruit potential junior staff from the ranks of TU Dresden. They were particularly interested in giving the students an insight into the railway company and into individual personnel departments and projects, i.e. to establish a practical connection. DB also looks back on several years of participation in the fair, also because it gives DB the opportunity to present itself as a diverse employer (planning, consulting or architecture, etc.). According to the two representatives, there is always a connection to transport science, and DB AG offers a wide variety of job opportunities and perspectives.
One face from the transport sciences represented at the DB stand was Daniel Duschik, who was due to defend his thesis shortly after the fair. He has already secured a permanent position as a project engineer at the Fulda-Gerstungen railway project. He had already worked there for 1.5 years as a student trainee and also wrote his final thesis on the project in question.
Goal: To give students an idea of possible fields of activity, e.g. in railway engineering
The Dresden Institute for Railway Technology (IfB) would like to use the fair to increase student knowledge about the company. It is important to present oneself in order to look for future employees as well as to compare ideas on the part of students regarding possible fields of activity in railway technology and thus to provide practical examples. Through Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arnd Stephan, there would be a close connection to the faculty and the Chair of Electric Railways. The institute has been represented at the fair since the first year. The importance of this is still high, as it is primarily about visibility for the students and networking. Alumni of the faculty started at the IfB as interns in the past years and are now permanently employed.
Ms Müller and Mr Vallente from the company IKOS Innovation & Technologies were also mainly interested in attracting students for direct entry into their company or other networking opportunities (internships etc.). So far, they have been represented at the fair three times and are mainly interested in long-term cooperation with the faculty. The fair is very important in view of the shortage of skilled workers in the railway industry. An alumini of the faculty is Erik Siebert, who has already been working at IKOS for three years.
Nancy Müller and still student of the faculty Leonard Trommler from CE cideon engineering GmbH & Co. KG used the fair for public relations work for their company. The faculty is a central and special point of contact for finding potential young talents for the railway industry. There are not many providers for this. The company was represented at the fair for the second time and has already registered for next year. Leonard Trommler is currently a working student at CE cideon engineering. Initially, he worked as part of a supporting project position advertised in 2020 for the restoration of a multiple unit. He was hired in August 2021, including a four-month mandatory internship. In the meantime, Trommler is fully involved in operations beyond the project. He plans to write his thesis in-house.
This is what the organisational team from Spätverkehr e. V. says
Jessica Quander, first chairperson of the aluminium association "Spätverkehr e.V.", graduate of the faculty and currently lead trainee at Deutsche Post AG, was visibly satisfied with the success of the KontaktMesse Verkehr again this year. "The fair is one of the highlights of the year for the faculty. It's perfect for companies to generate interest and recruit young talents – better than any university module ever could." A special commitment as well as enthusiasm came from the many members of the Spätverkehr e. V. who organise the fair every year. "There is always a lot of attention and a lot of positive feedback about the fair." Half of the exhibitors were "regulars", the other half had become aware of the fair through their own internet research. There is a lot of interest among the companies, more than there are exhibition spaces available.
Originalautor
About "Spätverkehr e.V."
The alumni association "Spätverkehr e. V. (SV)" was founded in 2006 and currently has about 100 members (alumni, students, TU members), of which about 20 are active members. The association is part of the "LISTigen Vereine und Freunde der Fakultät Verkehrswissenschaften "Friedrich List"" at the TU Dresden. The study background of the members is diverse and ranges from traffic economists to traffic engineers to railway system engineers.
The association sees its main tasks in promoting the student body of the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences through practical scientific exchange and in building up an alumni network. The most important annual events are the fair KontaktMesse Verkehr and the Faculty Ball.
Further involvement of the association includes: Supporting students in the preparation of excursions, guest lectures, internships and diploma topics; supporting the social and cultural activities of the "Student Body Friedrich List" and its student council; promoting and maintaining contacts with former students and doctoral candidates; establishing and maintaining relationships with the practical world; contributing to the design of transport science teaching and research as well as continuing the transport science traditions at the university location Dresden.
Other activities include regulars' tables, excursions and Christmas parties. In addition, the association offers financial support to other student associations or university groups. An annual prize is also awarded for voluntary commitment.
The fair is one of the highlights of the year for the faculty. It is perfect for companies to generate interest and recruit young talent – better than any university module ever could.
According to a recent survey by the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences
70 percent
of the faculty's graduates already have their first permanent employment contract in their pocket when they graduate.