Jolanda Engel: From teacher to shipbuilding pioneer in Northern Germany!

Jolanda Engel: From teacher to shipbuilding pioneer in Northern Germany!

A lot is happening in northern Germany. The young mother Jolanda Engel is currently studying shipbuilding at Kiel University of Applied Sciences, combining her dream of science with the responsibility of her role as a mother. She originally wanted to study teaching, but her passion for competitive sailing made her think again. Today she is gaining valuable experience at FSG Shipyard GmbH in Flensburg. This dual training not only offers her a secure salary, but also insights into professional life, which are of great importance for her future. She also greatly appreciates the unique combination of theory and practice - a general strength that characterizes the dual study program in shipbuilding, as wegweiser-duales-studium.de emphasizes.

Engel got to know numerous areas of shipbuilding as part of her studies. This includes, among other things, the design, construction and equipment of ships. Not only is she in good hands at the university, but she also enjoys the support of her colleagues at the shipyard. She was active as a student representative in the CirclesOfLife project, a European research and innovation project to improve material cycles and emissions. She carried out her research work on the materiality analysis of the shipyard's emissions under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Ute Vanini and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hendrik Dankowski on his feet. FSG Shipyard GmbH is also planning to join the CirclesOfLife project, in which a digital shipyard model will be created to enable a Europe-wide comparison.

Dual studies in shipbuilding – an area with a future

The dual study course in shipbuilding is not only an excellent opportunity to start your career, but also the key to a promising career. According to the Association for Shipbuilding and Marine Technology in Hamburg, there is a need for 120 to 125 young people per year, while at German universities only 70 graduates graduate in shipbuilding every year. For this reason, job opportunities for aspiring shipbuilders are high. The dual course of study lasts four to four and a half years and is offered at universities in northern Germany, such as the Bremen University of Applied Sciences, the Jade University of Wilhelmshaven and the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences.

The course is divided into two variants: In the practical combination, students simultaneously obtain a bachelor's degree and a skilled worker qualification, while the industry-accompanying course includes a multi-year professional internship. In both cases, the aspiring shipbuilders sharpen their skills in areas such as mechanical engineering, business administration and industrial engineering. The aspects studied include not only technical know-how, but also economic considerations that are important for modern business in shipbuilding, according to bildung.de.

• Schwerpunkte im dualen Studium Schiffbau:
• Maschinenbau
• Schiffbau
• Schiffstechnik
• Betriebswirtschaft
• Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen

For Engel it is clear that shipbuilding has a future - not just for them, but also as a whole. A uniform cradle-to-cradle ship passport and sustainability reports that comply with European legal requirements have long since become a central issue in the industry. Given these developments, shipbuilding will always be an area in which creativity and technical understanding must go hand in hand.