Gaining an insight into research processes and exploring career options – these are the opportunities offered by a Voluntary Academic Year (FWJ) at the university. The volunteers recently presented their final projects.
Is a degree course right for me? How does research work at a university? These and other questions were answered by 16 young people during their Voluntary Academic Year at the University of Oldenburg. Their areas of work at the university varied widely, ranging from a university hospital to the Institute of Social Sciences and the Department of Health Services Research. At their closing event, the volunteers shared insights into the past year.
Since 2015, it has been possible to spend a year getting to know research and academia at the University of Oldenburg as part of the Federal Voluntary Service. The volunteers familiarise themselves with academic fields of work, gain practical experience and can explore career options, for example through accompanying training days. During the twelve-month FWJ, a minimum of 25 training days are compulsory. These are designed to help volunteers familiarise themselves with research topics, attend lectures and seminars, make use of the academic advisory services, and get to know various areas of the university. The FWJ is primarily aimed at A-level graduates who are interested in a degree course or vocational training with a research focus.
This year’s FWJ graduates each presented their work using a scientific poster they had designed themselves. They were each given ten minutes for their presentation. It became clear that the volunteers had gained an in-depth insight into the research and work carried out by the institutions and research groups. Ronja Krüger, for example, is working in the Department of Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems at OFFIS – the Institute for Computing Science. Here, she assists with academic studies, is gaining her first experience in programming and is even involved in an academic publication. Janek Steinert has gained experience in a completely different field: he is completing his FWJ at the University Archives, where, for example, he has compiled fascinating documents about the university’s namesake, Carl von Ossietzky. At the closing event, he explained to the guests the journey a document takes before it reaches the archive.
A direct route to higher education
“The young people here take a big step forward, both in their personal development and in terms of their academic and career guidance,” explains Nadine Brandt. She coordinates the FWJ at the university. Time and again, she is surprised anew at how quickly the year flies by. “I’m delighted when I see that the volunteers are really making the most of their time at the university and in the clinics, and that they don’t lose their motivation despite occasional setbacks, such as those caused by the coronavirus pandemic.”
A survey of the volunteers shows that, overall, they are very satisfied with their service at the university and are pleased with the experiences and challenges through which they have grown over the past few months. The majority of them have now decided on a degree programme. Regardless of which degree programme they ultimately choose, they have all already gained an insight into various areas of work thanks to this special year. Meanwhile, the next group of volunteers are already raring to go, ready to gain their own personal insight into university life from September onwards.
