Since the 2016 winter semester, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences has also been offering a mechanical engineering degree programme - with the aim of keeping young people with an interest in technology in the region by offering them a local course of study with links to the regional economy. The first mechanical engineering student has now successfully completed his degree and is employed by DEKRA Automobil GmbH in Nordhausen.

Nico Stang wanted to study mechanical engineering, but was reluctant to leave the region. Now he is the university's first graduate on this degree programme. When the degree programme was introduced in Nordhausen in 2016, it was an obvious decision for him to study here in Nordhausen. In addition to the regional aspect, he was also won over by the passion of the Dean of Studies, Prof Folker Flüggen, who made an impression at the introductory event with his many years of practical experience in companies: "It simply makes a big difference when professors can pass on not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical experience," says Stang.

The practical relevance and the variety of career prospects fascinated him from the very beginning of his studies, which is why DEKRA was an appealing choice for him as a company for the practical semester. He wrote his bachelor's thesis on the subject of "Type-specific approval of a replacement exhaust system" - a topic that is currently of great interest due to the emissions scandal. The assignment for this also came from the region. The company Zinram from Ellrich deals with the design and construction of exhaust systems for different vehicle types and wanted to have an optimised exhaust system, specifically the downpipe with sports catalytic converters, tested for compliance with legal regulations. Mr Stang carried out measurements and analyses on a converted Golf 6 GTI and prepared an evaluation to be used for an individual operating permit in accordance with §21 StVZO. Both companies are interested in deepening this investigation by further optimising the exhaust system, which could be achieved through further cooperation with the university.

This underlines the fact that, according to Dean Flüggen, the mechanical engineering degree programme in Nordhausen is welcomed by everyone involved: "The practical relevance is an advantage for both sides - the students get to know the practical side of the business and at the same time are already familiarised with it. The market is there, the demand is there, and now the graduates are there too."

For DEKRA Automobil GmbH, the proximity to the university offers a completely new opportunity, says Andreas Benkstein, Head of the Nordhausen branch: "The endeavour to establish a partnership is in both parties' interests. Industry traditionally has 'its foot in the door' when it comes to engineering degree programmes at universities. This has not been possible here in the region until now." It is not only the interest in regional labour that is decisive here; cooperation in the form of teaching activities or practical modules at the university is also conceivable.

The DEKRA branch office in Nordhausen is also particularly proud to take on the first mechanical engineering graduate for another reason. It has a personal history with the location of the university: after the closure of the IFA factories, a number of IFA employees joined DEKRA who had traditionally graduated from the Engineering School for Agricultural Engineering in the GDR era, where the university is now located. In fact, one of the last graduates of the engineering school and the first graduate of the "new generation" now work together at DEKRA.

The story of the Nordhausen mechanical engineers can therefore continue. And for the second graduate, Prabin Bharati from Nepal, the internship semester has also resulted in a job: after completing his internship semester at Schachtbau Nordhausen GmbH and also writing his bachelor's thesis there, he will be working in the company's production planning department from May.

"We are very pleased that the other students on the first mechanical engineering degree programme at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences also have good prospects of being taken on by their practical companies here in the region after successfully completing their Bachelor's thesis. The local idea is therefore paying off," summarises Professor Flüggen.