SHIFT - Strategic Hub for International Future Talent

The SHIFT project supports the establishment and goals of the THI's International Welcome Center by developing and testing new measures and structures to prepare international students for their studies, ensure their academic success, increase their employability and integrate them into the labor market. The project has a pilot function.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 2024-2028 and was acquired under the funding line "FIT - Förderung internationaler Talente zur Integration in den Arbeitsmarkt".

Areas of the project

In the area of study preparation, SHIFT focuses on the Sustainable Civil Engineering (B.Eng.) and Renewable Energy Systems (M.Sc.) degree programmes. We enable students to acquire additional skills that increase their academic success for one semester before starting their studies at THI and support them in arriving in Ingolstadt and at the university with various measures and guidance. The measures developed and tested will be extended beyond the pilot phase to all 16 English-language international degree programmes at THI in the long term.

The so called Study Sprint Renewable Energy Systems (Study Sprint RES) will start for the first time in summer semester 2025.

In the area of student success, measures to increase student success are being developed, tested and tracked in the established Engineering and Management (B.Sc.) degree program. The aim is to develop the most efficient range of measures possible to increase academic success for long-term application to all international students at THI.

The area of career entry for international students in the German labour market is being organised through a Career Development Initiative. This initiative will set up a series of training courses designed to prepare international students specifically for the requirements of the German labour market. In addition, the focus is on establishing a company network. On the basis of this network, a database is to be created with which international students can be placed directly in the labour market. In addition, a Career Speed Dating programme will be offered with the aim of placing students in career-relevant practical phases. Cooperation with the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce as well as the Ingolstadt Skilled Labour Alliance is central to this. The aim is to offer international students step-by-step entry opportunities into the German labour market.