There is a lot of interest in the career fair

The CAREER Fair at Hochschule Offenburg remains one of the most important career fairs in the Upper Rhine region: On Wednesday, once again, around 120 exhibitors set up their booths to connect with students from all four departments at Hochschule Offenburg. And, as in previous years, students flocked to the Oberrheinhalle in large numbers.

Prof. Grit Köhler, Vice President for Academic Affairs, once again emphasized the wide range of exhibitors in her welcoming remarks: From a Black Forest distillery to an aerospace company, from small startup initiatives and regional medium-sized businesses to large, internationally active corporations—everything was represented once again. New participants included, for example, ATMOS Space Cargo from the aerospace sector, Hilzinger Fenster und Türen and Bernhard Müller Betonsteinwerk from the construction industry, and RMA Kehl from the metal industry.   

Lively conversations quickly developed at most booths. “There’s a lot of interest,” said both new and returning exhibitors, delighted not only by the large turnout but also by the substantive quality of the discussions with the students. For the most part, the discussions centered on work-study contracts, practical semesters, and bachelor’s or master’s theses. In addition, however, numerous first-semester students also attended to learn for the first time about the companies’ job openings and, consequently, their career prospects.

The students were also satisfied with what the Career Fair had to offer: “There are a lot of exciting companies here,” “It’s interesting to see exactly what each company does,” “This way, you can quickly and easily find out which companies, for example, offer work-study contracts or practical semesters and which don’t” —these and similar comments made up the majority of the feedback. Responses to the question about specific offers for practical semesters or entry-level positions were somewhat more reserved. The students cited a wide variety of reasons for this: “AI is making it difficult,” “There aren’t many companies here for Biotechnologie,” or “Only a few are offering spots for required internships in marketing,” were some of the comments heard. And the general economic situation certainly played a role as well, leading some students to wish for more exhibitors from the growing defense industry—in addition to the German Armed Forces, which was represented for the first time.          

As in the previous year, the supporting program consisted of coaching and application workshops, a raffle, and various lounges. In the International Lounge, students received information about working and living in Germany or studying abroad, as well as guidance on what—besides AI—is important for their own careers. The Start-up Lounge attracted visitors with information booths and insights from start-up exhibitors, as well as pitches for new business ideas from Hochschule Offenburg’s Open Game & FabLab. In addition, the university’s Graduate Academy provided information there on academic career paths, specifically doctoral studies.