ZEW Employee Heike Ehrhard Successfully Completes Dual Study Programme

Dates and News

Vocational training at the institute: Bachelor thesis about business process optimization

Heike Ehrhard successfully completed her dual bachelor’s degree programme in business information systems at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Mannheim (DHBW) and at ZEW in autumn 2018. In October, she joined the ZEW General Services Department in the area of digitalisation as a staff member. ZEW congratulates Ms. Ehrhard on completing her dual studies and hopes to support further vocational training programmes in the future.

“ZEW successfully trains young people in a wide variety of professions. The dual study programme in business information systems leading to a bachelor’s degree is a good example of how the close link between theoretical studies and practical training provides our graduates with an excellent preparation for their future careers,” says ZEW training supervisor Steffi Spiegel. 

Gaining hands-on experience at the research institute

Since the beginning of her three-year dual study programme in autumn 2015, Heike Ehrhard has been alternating between studying full-time for 12 weeks at the DHWB in Mannheim and working for 12 weeks at ZEW. This mixture of studies and practical work made it possible for her to deepen and apply the theoretical knowledge she had acquired directly in practice. At ZEW, she underwent comprehensive practical training, while gaining insight into several research and service departments, where she both worked on her own projects and was involved in the day-to-day business. During this time she got to know different fields of work and gained experience in programming in the context of research projects, in the digitisation of work processes and in purchasing. “At ZEW I was involved in various projects from the very beginning and quickly was able to work independently. This allowed me to immediately apply and deepen what I had learned during my studies,” she recounts. From now on, Heike Ehrhard will help the General Services Department to develop a digital work environment. Particularly the development and implementation of new workflows will be part of her tasks.

Careers at ZEW

ZEW believes it has a social responsibility to support young people in getting a foot on the career ladder. The institute is certified to provide vocational training by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Rhine-Neckar and has been training young people in a variety of different fields on a regular basis since 1998. ZEW’s wide variety of traineeships, helpful staff as well as the high degree of independence given to trainees make the institute not only an attractive employer but also the ideal setting for completing vocational training.

Contact

Steffi Spiegel, Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-251, E-mail: steffi.spiegel@zew.de