For 15 years, the Fishing for Experience program has been connecting students at TU Hamburg with regional companies. By summer 2025, more than 1,100 students will have collaborated with 70 companies on around 240 projects and gained valuable practical experiences along the way. This success was now honored at the Career Center's anniversary event. In his welcoming speech, TU President Prof. Andreas Timm-Giel thanked the team for their great commitment: “The program helps a lot getting from study programs to practice and to the companies”.
Students gain practical experience
The importance of this bridge to practical experience was also highlighted in the keynote speech by Ulf-Daniel Ehlers, Professor of Economics at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Karlsruhe. In his presentation on future skills, the education researcher examined which specific skills could be important in the labor market of the future. It is not IQ and talent that are the decisive selection criteria for companies, but perseverance and a so-called growth mindset – the conviction that skills can be developed through learning, practice, and growing experience.
Fishing for Experience offers students the opportunity to practice these skills. For example, as part of a project with the Hamburg yacht club Meridian, students developed a propeller guard for electric outboard motors. The aim is to make traffic on the Alster, which is being gradually converted to electric motors starting this year, safer. In another project, students developed a digital atlas. In cooperation with PVI GmbH, a company specializing in photovoltaics and energy solutions, they helped develop a product that offers Hamburg residents visualized data on the energy security, ecological sustainability, and social justice of their neighborhood.
Career guidance during studies
The Career Center, headed by Astrid Bültemeier, acts as an interface between studies and career. It supports students at TU Hamburg with career guidance, establishes initial contacts with companies, and accompanies them on their way to finding a job. Every year, over 600 individual consultations are held and around 100 events are offered, ranging from seminars to job fairs.
In her welcoming address, Dr. Eva Gümbel, State Councillor for Science, Research, and Equality, emphasized the importance of practice-oriented offerings: “Programs like Fishing for Experience ensure that students are equipped with both, academic knowledge and practical insights into the industries that shape our economy.”
To further intensify cooperation between students and companies, Astrid Bültemeier announced the launch of the new NORDEN WELTOFFEN corporate network during the event. The network, which is part of the FitING-in-Germany initiative, aims to bring companies and universities together with talented international graduates.
For further information please visit the Fishing for Experience website.
The event was sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).
