Shift Change Promotes Inspiration and Inclusion
A managing director in the production line of a social institution, a rehabilitation student in the administration of a university company – this became reality for one day during the campaign "Shift Change".
In the Heilbronn region, Nadezhda Aleksandrova from the Therapeutikum in Sontheim and Daniel Gottschald, Managing Director of Die TUM Campus Heilbronn gGmbH, were among those who switched jobs. "This allows people with and without disabilities to meet, talk and get to know each other. Possible prejudices and fears are reduced in the process," says Manfred Lucha, Baden-Württemberg's Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Integration, explaining the objective of the day of the campaign.
The Therapeutikum and the TUM at the Heilbronn Campus have been in contact for some time. Martina Wieland, managing director of the Therapeutikum, explains: "Our two institutions are planning a joint bicycle workshop for the Therapeutikum on the Bildungscampus." Daniel Gottschald adds: "On the one hand, we are a university of excellence and model campus for the digital age, a global leader of cutting-edge research, but also a good neighbor to our partners in the Heilbronn-Franken region. In all of this, the following applies: People and their knowledge are at the center of our activities, not the economic benefit of human resources."
In the Middle Instead of Just Thereby
Daniel Gottschald is impressed by the Therapeutikum's production hall: modern machinery, a perfectly organized production line and a sophisticated logistics system. "We manufacture parts here that other suppliers cannot," explains Production Manager Patrick Rückert proudly. The therapeutic center's customers include renowned companies in the automotive industry. A win-win situation for rehabbers and customers alike. Workshop manager Marco Sacher provides insights into how both sides benefit from the cooperation: "On the one hand, we manufacture technically complex products, even in small quantities. On the other hand, we create a regular daily structure for the employees. This helps them develop a new sense of self-worth." Unfortunately, he says, there is still a lot of fear of contact in society.
"The Therapeutikum makes a significant contribution to our social security systems, is a successful therapy facility and an economically successful company. For us, it is therefore an outstanding example of successful social entrepreneurship, and we at TUM Campus Heilbronn want to make a contribution to this," says Daniel Gottschald, explaining the reasons why the educational institution is participating in this year's Day of Action. Gottschald himself is making a contribution in the area of manpower on this day, because on this day, he is lending a hand in the shock absorber production. At the first station, the parts are prepared for the production line and Daniel Gottschald does well: "That's good bolting," he receives praise from one of his new colleagues.
"People and their knowledge are at the center of what we do, not the economic benefits of human resources."
He then walks through the five stations of the production line, and this is where precision is needed: "Both the shock absorbers and our campus operation are world-class products of our region – both are more complex than you think, not always visible, but you would feel it painfully if they were not there... So a similar job! I'm impressed with what the rehabbers do here, and I've learned a lot from them," he says. During his work, he exchanges ideas with his colleagues and at the end receives a good "job reference" from the shift supervisor. The manager also draws a positive conclusion: "I'm happy to be here, I really enjoy it."
At the end of his shift change, Daniel Gottschald puts his work shoes in the corner and takes a look into the future: "At TUM Campus Heilbronn, we are massively expanding our seminar and accompanying events in the area of values and ethics and want to become the Baden-Württemberg model of an inclusion campus."
Nadezhda Aleksandrova working for a day at TUM Campus Heilbronn.
Versatile and Familiar with the University World
Meanwhile, the rehabilitation student at the TUM Heilbronn campus cuts a similarly fine figure: Nadezhda Aleksandrova smiles a lot, approaches all the employees who are introduced to her without shyness. And she keeps asking questions, wanting to learn as much as possible about how things work on campus. "I'm so glad I can gain insight here. I've been to the Bildungscampus before – it's great to see it from the inside now and to be able to work here," the tall young woman says happily.
She is familiar with the university world and also with the Bildungscampus: the native Bulgarian graduated from Heilbronn University with a degree in wine business administration. Accordingly, the tasks that Caroline Hoffmann and Bettina Brockmann from the Department of Continuing Education have prepared are easy for her: Prepare name tags for the first Festival of LifeLong Learning (FoLLL) planning meeting, load folders with fact sheets, distribute pads and pens around the meeting room. There's plenty of time in between to tell more about herself. For example, that salsa dancing is one of her greatest hobbies. And that she speaks several languages: In addition to Bulgarian and German, she speaks Spanish, English and Italian and understands Russian. Why is such a talented woman working in the Therapeutikum workshops? A serious illness completely changed her life a few years ago. She lay in a coma, was completely paralyzed. Since then, she has been fighting her way back into life bit by bit.
The morning at the TUM Heilbronn Campus is something special for her: "I am happy to be here and to gain an insight into what activities are carried out," she sums up. She has nothing but praise for the "Shift Change" campaign: "It's a great project – I support it. It's good to gain insight into how work is done somewhere else." She has one more suggestion: "My recommendation is to extend it to several days. If you could spend two days or even a week exchanging ideas with each other, a great development would be possible."