"We've never seen the lecture theatre this full before," was the spontaneous feedback from many students when 25 lecturers from all over Europe and the USA presented the projects they will be working on with the Nordhausen students for a week. A week of subject-related work in English - this is an essential cornerstone of the young university's internationalisation strategy to prepare students for the European job market. The International Project Week is an essential component of "Internationalisation at Home" alongside the foreign language training that is a compulsory part of the degree course in Nordhausen. This concept was launched eight years ago in Nordhausen to give all students the opportunity to gain international experience, as not all students can afford to spend time abroad, despite receiving a great deal of support. The University of Applied Sciences is therefore particularly pleased that its concept has now been adopted by partner universities in other countries. International project weeks based on the Nordhausen model have been running for three years in Poland and, since last year, also in Finland. "Just as we like to learn from our partners, we are delighted when our European partners can benefit from our strengths," says Thomas Hoffmann, International Affairs Officer at the University of Applied Sciences. In September, he will present this Nordhausen concept at the largest European education conference in Basel. The aim of this "internationalisation at home" is to give all students the opportunity to work internationally at least once during their studies so that they can acquire the skills that are in demand on the labour market. "No matter where in Europe and in almost every professional field you want to find a job, whether in northern Thuringia or in another EU country, intercultural skills and knowledge of English and another foreign language are essential if you want to stand out from your competitors on the labour market," says Thomas Hoffmann. International project weeks and the wide range of foreign languages on offer at Nordhausen UAS therefore play a decisive role in the range of courses on offer at Nordhausen UAS.

The highlight of the International Project Week is the presentation of the project results on Friday, 12 May 2006, from 10:00 to 13:00 in lecture theatres 1 and 2 in building 19 on the Weinberghof campus. Interested citizens are cordially invited to attend.

No. 046/2006 from 08.05.2006