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Tel.: +49 (0)30 / 319 909 50
Fax: +49 (0)30 / 319 909 555
E-Mail: info@bbw-hochschule.de
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Which study courses are your Advisory Council dealing with?
With both Logistics courses at the university: There is a business engineering Bachelor of Science on “Logistics and Supply Chain Management” and a Master of Science in “Strategic Management in Logistics”.
How often do you meet?
Since the two study courses were established and certified, the Advisory Council has met at least twice annually - or more frequently if there are important topics to discuss.
Like for instance?
The further development of the study modules. We are working on that at present.
Because the knowledge content of logistics is extremely dynamic, or because it’s generally due after a few years?
Both. In principle, the curricula of both study courses certainly match the challenges in our sector. We agree with the basic structure. But the development of technology and of information and communications technologies is influencing us so swiftly that we need to optimise from time to time.
Where do you see current approaches to optimisation?
At the previous Advisiory Council session in July 2015 for instance, we discussed trends in Internet commerce. We were consequently able to formulate a few important pointers that in our opinion not only improve the Logistics courses but also, if you like, broaden professional start-up opportunities for graduates. We have also proposed increased support for students during basic studies in the areas of mathematics, presentation techniques and communicative skills. That seems important to us. In the coming session, we will question whether it has already been possible to implement our suggestions.
You mean that the Advisory Council not only takes its advisory function seriously but also accompanies the implementation?
Exactly. We advise the Business Engineering Department on further developing the study and research programme. That is our main task. We thereby transfer experiences and practical perspectives from our companies into the bbw University of Applied Sciences. We naturally also track the results of our suggestions. While we work on an honorary basis in the Advisory Council, we all hold responsible positions and must keep our time budget in mind. We therefore naturally approach even honorary tasks in a result-oriented fashion.
What has experience taught you?
That our suggestions and pointers are not only welcome but are also heard. That is very important.
Beyond that, what else can you say about your motivation for your activity at the bbw University of Applied Sciences?
I see it as a very responsible task. Through our work in the Advisory Council, we can supply many planks of the platform for training the very same expert personnel who are needed by our sector. When we see that e.g. practical trainees and young career beginners lack certain competences which they need in logistics companies, we at bbw can help to ensure that graduates receive an even better grounding for practical employment. And we do so. That is a good motivation. And an additional one for me is that I already knew the Rector of the bbw University of Applied Sciences during his time at Deutsche Bahn (the federal railways) and have carried out teaching and consulting contracts at various colleges for a lengthy period.
Which are the chief competences that graduates need most urgently from the viewpoint of logistics companies?
That naturally varies in view of the wide scope of the logistics industry, which ranges from forwarding agents, pure Internet platforms and wholesale and foreign trade companies all the way across the industry to construction companies. Every logistician therefore needs broad basic professional knowledge. He has to bring it along from the university. But he also needs soft skills, which he can intensify in his job later on but which should already be coached at the university, because logisticians must be good analysts. They must be capable of constantly and quickly thinking themselves independently into new situations and taking swift decisions. They must therefore also be prepared to share and reliably communicate their knowledge to others. In English too. The practically oriented Study Cases of the bbw University of Applied Sciences and the practical classes in the case of the full-time students are good test benches for these purposes. At Deutsche Bahn and in my department, I have become acquainted with some practical trainees and bbw graduates who were really good, which is always a benchmark too.
Does the Logistics Advisory Council already represent the full variety of the sector?
Not yet quite. We would like to have a representative of the industry with us. We are still looking for support in this direction. i
What are the next goals?
We want to encourage our companies to join the bbw University of Applied Sciences in supporting the nationwide “Day of Logistics” on 21 April 2016. So that they can make contact with students and graduates to fill practical traineeship vacancies. We support the university with information about our companies and also suggest themes for Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. We want to motivate and accompany especially research work at the bbw University more strongly in future.
Which research topics could you imagine at the bbw University?
We have e.g. discussed what consequences 3D printing could have for logistics. Such deliberations could be interesting for “last mile delivery” organisations for e-commerce and logistics companies. And we can imagine students occupying themselves with optimisation approaches in the commissioning and fulfilment area. And the topic of “digitalisation and its influence on global supply chain” will confront us with further challenges in coming years.
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