Special guest at the annual company fair Gut from the Department of Building at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM): Hesse's Minister of Science Timon Gremmels was convinced of the coexistence of science and economy at the THM
Prof. Dr. Joaquín Díaz, Dean of the Department S Building, explained the trade fair approach: "We are trying to build a network here where students and companies come together." THMPresident Prof. Dr. Matthias Willems underpinned this: "The THM is a very networked university with a lot of practical relevance, which makes us an application -oriented university."
The basic idea of the trade fair is to find holistic and forward-looking solutions for construction-related issues, thus promoting motivation and development in science and industry. Gremmels cited the direct and regular exchange as crucial and expressed his conviction: "The construction profession is facing major challenges due to technological changes and issues such as sustainable construction, raw material consumption, mobility, and urban development. We need qualified specialists for this. As a practice-oriented university, THM places a strong emphasis on knowledge and technology transfer and balanced cooperation between science and industry – this is also demonstrated by the Giessen Entrepreneurs' Day." The bright future prospects in the industry were clearly demonstrated at one of the company stands: There, Hesse's Minister for Science and Research, Arts and Culture learned from a company representative that he himself had gathered information at GUT two years ago – and today he wants to inspire new students to join the company.
THM teachers led their groups around the trade fair and explained the companies' main focuses. Around 500 students gathered information at numerous stands throughout the day, made contacts with the 38 companies and associations in the construction industry, got to know potential employers and received decision-making help when choosing their field of study. They got to know companies from the fields of engineering, architecture and construction. In addition, they received a comprehensive insight into the various professional fields through 25 presentations and lectures.
In addition to the students, groups of pupils from the Theodor-Litt-Schule Giessen and the Werner-von-Siemens-Schule Wetzlar were also present. They visited the labs, campus booths, and a lecture on "Studying at THM" by academic advisor Anne Leßmann.
After the official part, that of Prof. Dr. Christian Baier, with the support of students and employees of the Department S organized event in a solemn drink. Those present used these to exchange ideas and in lively conversations as well as the raffle for the raffle prices donated by the companies.