Career and pre-degree preparation in the Pre-College Fulda programme – practice-oriented and international
From 2019 to 2022, Pre-College Fulda was supported by the Hessian State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK) and the European Social Fund (ESF). During this period, 35 people from 19 countries around the world participated in the programme and have since started a university degree or training programme in Fulda.

Background and objectives
Pre-College Fulda’s goal is to offer prospective students from abroad low-threshold access to a study programme or vocational training in Germany and thus also combat the skilled worker shortages. Young adults typically come to Germany because they want to pursue a university education. However, the school-leaving certificates of many applicants from outside the EU are not recognised by German universities. Pre-College Fulda offers individuals with a so-called indirect university entrance qualification alternative access to university. Thanks to its diverse business landscape and abundance of training positions, the Fulda region is especially suitable in this respect.

The declared goal of the preparatory year is to prepare young adults as effectively as possible for their training programme or university degree in Germany and to equip them with the necessary language skills and specialist knowledge. They also receive guidance on possible training opportunities and career paths, and at an early stage the programme helps them develop a suitable professional network in the region.

Significance of career preparation and networking
The Pre-College Fulda programme not only prepares international students for a university degree or vocational training in Germany, it also helps them make contact with businesses in the economic region of Fulda at an early stage. The International Office’s Career Service plays a key role in this respect. Guests from local partner institutions and businesses are also regularly invited to promote professional networking activities and offer participants in-depth insights into opportunities in the Fulda region.

Project achievements and a brief outlook
The needs-oriented advice and the more personal atmosphere of small course groups (8-12 participants per year) are clearly very positively received. The majority of former Pre-College Fulda students have gone on to take a degree or do vocational training in the fields of health sciences, technology and computer science.

The Pre-College Fulda programme will continue after the project ends. The fourth Pre-College Fulda year kicked off in autumn 2022. There are plans to develop more partnerships in the region in the next few months and years so that participants continue to receive individual, needs-oriented support.

Further information
Programme coordinator: Dr Pouneh Ghaemdoust (ghaemdoust@hs-fulda.de), Susan Höntzsch (hoentzsch@hs-fulda.de)
www.hs-fulda.de/pre-college