Internship opens up opportunities for all participants

October 2011Since 2003, Benecke-Kaliko has employed around 70 interns in the development department, a trend that is on the up and up.

Having written his undergraduate dissertation in Hanover in Benecke-Kaliko's PU area, Daniel Weber knows that "Good supervision is a crucial element in how a thesis ends up." Everything worked out excellently for him. In the person of Dr. Andreas Gerkene, he had a reliable, technically competent contact person. Assistance was available to him in the laboratory whenever he had to deal with practical matters and he was able to exchange ideas with other interns all along the way.

Since 2003, Benecke-Kaliko has employed around 70 interns in the development department, a trend that is on the up and up. "This means that we are doing more than just giving school pupils and students the opportunity to get a taste of working life and fulfill the requirements of their professional training," notes Dr. Roland Freudenmann, head of PVC & PUR Predevelopment. Like all supervisors at Benecke-Kaliko, he looks after no more than two interns at any one time. The internships give Benecke-Kaliko a chance to get to know those suitable for filling future staffing slots. This is no small matter in times when specialists are increasingly scarce. It also enables the company to remain in contact with research and academia. "What is more, after learning the ropes, the interns work largely on their own, thereby reducing the workload in the development area," emphasizes Freudenmann. The interns also have recourse to the university for seldom used equipment. This greatly expands the spectrum of tests possible.

Depending on needs at any given time, Benecke-Kaliko specifies topics in the fields of PVC, PU, TPO, textiles, paintwork, chemistry, process development and laboratory work. It posts the internship possibilities at the relevant universities. The company fosters, for example, a very close relationship with Leibniz Universität Hannover and Reutlingen University. However, it is also possible to make an unsolicited application.

Students find it particularly interesting when they are involved in basic development. "What the young interns work on here will not be incorporated into a series production model for another three to four years, at the earliest. So they are well ahead of their time," says Freudenmann, describing what makes this work attractive. It goes without saying that the results are top secret. They are seen by no one but the professor supervising the dissertation, the second corrector and Benecke-Kaliko. "It is particularly encouraging to see that the results we have worked on really are used and requested by customers," adds Carolin Vogt, who wrote her undergraduate dissertation in the PVC Development department.

In addition to the students, Benecke-Kaliko also offers opportunities to pupils who must also do an internship providing professional experience in order to qualify for admission to a university or technical school. They are assigned to the laboratory, where they work together on several projects.

"We have had individual interns in the past," says Freudenmann. What is new is the routine that has developed out of this. This also involves all interns and supervisors getting together once a month to discuss their work and clarify questions of a general nature."We benefit as well, of course, from what we put out to supervise the interns. In the final analysis, we stand to get more out of good dissertations than out of bad ones," asserts Freudenmann.

Follow-up internships at Benecke-Kaliko are also quite popular. They give interns a chance to become familiar with other divisions.

Contact:
Benecke-Kaliko AG
Human Resources
Mrs. Malzahn
Beneckealle 40
D-30419 Hannover
petra.malzahn@benecke-kaliko.de

Benecke-Kaliko AG
Human Resources
Mrs. Krebs
Ulmer Str. 92
D-73054 Eislingen
maike.krebs@benecke-kaliko.de