Summit on Continuing Education
TUM Campus Heilbronn participates in the Global Upskill Summit.
1.7 million jobs in Germany are unfilled – a number that has doubled in recent years. At the same time, a global study by McKinsey shows: Companies that invest in the training of their employees are more profitable. This was reported by Dr. Elke Frank, member of the Supervisory Board of Scout24 and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Fraunhofer IAO, at the Global Upskill Summit 2023 on the Bildungscampus Heilbronn. In view of these two findings, the goal of the Fraunhofer IAO event is a very topical one: to establish an annual summit meeting on lifelong learning and professional development.
Caroline Hoffmann, Division Director Continuing Education at the TUM Campus Heilbronn, also took part in a panel discussion at the event. She discussed, among other things, the future of lifelong learning with Prof. Boris Kühnle, Director of CAS Heilbronn, and Prof. Wilhelm Bauer, Head of the Fraunhofer IAO Institute. Here she left no doubt about the importance of the topic: “My wish is that companies anchor the relevance of lifelong learning in their DNA,” she said.
"Under the slogan ‘For the Digital Age’, we want to derive our thematic priorities from what the companies in the region need."
But what contribution can the TUM Campus Heilbronn play in this, asked moderator Prof. Marc Rüger, director of the Fraunhofer IRB institute. “We don’t want to do anything new that already exists in a proven form,” said Hoffmann. Instead, it's about rethinking the topics of science and education and generating added value. Not everyone has yet internalized the concept of lifelong learning: “Learning should not end with a doctorate, but should last a lifetime.” Hoffmann emphasized that TUM has established the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning and the Continuing Education at the TUM Campus Heilbronn as its local branch for this purpose. “Under the slogan ‘For the Digital Age’, we want to derive our thematic priorities from what the companies in the region need,” she explained. At the same time, the image of continuing education is to be enhanced.
Rapid Development into a Knowledge City
The other participants on the panel also pointed out how important further training is: "The magic triangle of supply and demand is only complete with the learners’ motivation," said Boris Kühnle. It is therefore about stimulating curiosity and a desire to learn. Prof. Wilhelm Bauer, head of the Fraunhofer IAO institute, added: “I hope that we can make upskilling training so great that everyone wants it."
The discussion participants also agreed that Heilbronn has developed rapidly into a knowledge city in recent years. When it comes to education, Bauer described Heilbronn as a light that is mainly seen from a distance: “If good things happen here, then word gets around.” And Caroline Hoffmann also had a lot of praise for the city's development: “Education and science are significant location factors and will be further expanded. If they are consistently linked with the local/regional companies/economy, then nothing can really go wrong.”
The team from the Continuing Education Department presents the further training program at the TUM Campus Heilbronn.