Working@TH Köln – Experience Academia

There is still room for improvement in terms of diversity within academia. In 2022, for example, 52% of first-year students were female, while only 28% of professorships were held by women. To counteract this as early as possible, TH Köln has launched the "Working@TH Köln - Experience Academia" program for student assistants (SHK for short).

About the program

Info

"Working@TH Köln – Experience Academia“ is a measure from the "Improving Recruitment" sub-project of the PLan_CV project.

The program and its goals

“Working@TH Köln – Experience Academia” brings students and professors together. Students are hired as research and teaching assistants. In the process, they expand their academic skills, learn about possible career paths in science and gain an insight into the career profile of the professorship at a university of applied sciences.

Diversity is an essential part of TH Köln's self-image and is seen as indispensable for social justice and equal opportunities. At the same time, diversity is seen as a source of innovation and creativity that has a positive influence on cooperation. In the context of Working@TH Köln, we understand diversity as the diverse composition of a group of people. Diverse composition means that people differ in terms of their gender identification (male, female, non-binary, inter*, trans), their nationality or their educational background, for example.

The various diversity dimensions have an influence on the advantages and disadvantages people have and we want to counteract this with Working@TH Cologne. We have listed some of these diversity dimensions here in alphabetical order, but there are many more:

+ Diversity dimensions

Further information on the dimensions listed and other relevant terms

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

(Dis-)Ability
Age
Appearance and size
Care Work (e.g. for children, parents)
Class
Educational background
Gender
Migration background
Nationality
Physical and mental health
Race
Religion and ideology
Sexual orientation

Time frame

"Working@TH Köln - Experience Science" is a temporary learning arrangement in combination with an assistantship for professors. This means that, in addition to your work as a student assistant, you will receive offers for further training for an academic career.

The next application phase for the winter semester 2025/26 starts on 29.04.2025. From then on, the application form for students and the application form for professors will be activated again.

Financing

This measure will receive financing from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funding line if the abovementioned criteria are fulfilled. The Career Service can advise you on the application process.

Information according to target groups

Zwei Studentinnen tauschen sich beim Working@TH Köln-Gettogether aus.

(Image: TH Köln/Michael Bause)

For students

Are you at least in your 3rd Bachelor semester during the participation period and would like to get to know the work of a student assistant?

Zwei Professorinnen tauschen sich beim Working@TH Köln-Gettogether aus.

(Image: TH Köln/Michael Bause)

For professors

Do you want to support students on their career path? Are the promotion of young talent and diversity important to you, and are you looking for support for your research project and your teaching area?

“Working@TH Köln – Experience Academia” is part of the project “Rethinking professorial careers at universities of applied sciences: Collaboration and networking” (PLan_CV). Its goal: Finding excellent candidates for professorial careers at TH Köln, and achieving greater permeability between the academic world and the business sector. The project’s budget of 12.4 million euros is funded through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research program to attract and qualify professorial staff for universities of applied sciences.