A centre of education and knowledge is now located where once the reeves of Plauen resided. The university of cooperative education in Plauen gives the region an institution, which guarantees a supply of young specialist workers for the medium-sized corporations and communicates important skills.

Prof. Dr Lutz Neumann has been directing the fate of the university of cooperative education since 2014 and he underlines the opportunities that are available for both sides.

“The students benefit from a high proportion of practical work on their course and the medium-sized enterprises have the opportunity of involving future employees in their working procedures at an early stage.”

This university sandwich course system enables parallel training in theory and practice, unlike courses at universities or universities of applied sciences. The excellent network with various regional and national practice partners opens up excellent career opportunities – and the placement rate for graduates is as high as 90%.

If you ask the Vogtland Ambassador Neumann about his greatest successes as the director during the last few years, his answer is modest.

“I’ve not achieved this on my own, of course, but by introducing the new “physician assistant” course, we’ve developed a course of studies, which is unique in Eastern Germany at the university of cooperative education in Plauen within a very short time, at a stroke, so to speak.”

Following the successful 3-year trial phase, it has been possible to establish the course as a permanent feature. It covers a broad field of studies with three major areas of focus, “business”, “technology” and “health/social issues”.

There are plans to continue developing other courses and introduce new training programmes in future too. The new premises in the former local court building on Amtsberg in Plauen also enable the institute to cater for a larger number of students. As many as 450 young men and women are set to be able to launch their professional careers from here in future. Even if not every student believes that they will pursue their career in the Vogtland region, the mathematician with a doctorate is thinking one step ahead.

“Graduates remain in contact with the institution where they studied for the rest of their lives. They’re therefore the perfect ambassadors for the region. They promote the message of how important the university of cooperative education in Plauen is as an innovation centre and an excellent education facility in every part of Germany. In turn, that also strengthens the importance of the region, of course.”

One of the greatest challenges, according to Prof. Dr Lutz Neumann, is describing his institution. Saxony is the last federal state to use the term “university of cooperative education.” Baden-Württemberg or Thuringia now use the expression “dual university” and are aiming to achieve a much better awareness of their importance in their target group and in the population in general.

“However, that’s a political decision and nothing will change for us in the near future.”

Instead of this, the university is seeking to attract attention with very different ideas and initiatives. The university of cooperative education in Plauen has launched the children’s university in the Vogtland region in conjunction with the Vogtland District and Prof. Gunter Krautheim from Zwickau University of Applied Sciences.

“We want to use this project to enthuse possible future students about science topics,” says the Vogtland Ambassador.

Vita Prof. Dr. Lutz Neumann

• Born in Herrnhut (Oberlausitz) in 1964
• Lives in Zwickau with his wife and three children
• 1985 - 1990: University course as mathematics and physics teacher in Dresden
• 1994: Gained his doctorate in mathematics at Dresden University of Technology
• 1994 - 2000: Managing Director of the Hypo-Vereinsbank Jena/Gera
• Then worked for the Schmidt Bank
• 2004 - 2007: Commercial manager at Schwarzenberg hospital
• Lecturer and deputy director at the university of cooperative education in Breitenbrunn
• Director of the university of cooperative education in Plauen since 30 September 2014