The founder of ArbeiterKind.de, Katja Urbatsch, came to Geisenheim in person to sign the cooperation agreement. During her visit, she and Professor Mirjam Hey, Vice-President for Academic & Student Affairs also held talks with current and former Geisenheim students a who come from non-academic families.
To this day, children from academic households are proportionately more likely to study in Germany than children from non-academic households. According to the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies, 79 out of 100 children with academic parents will go on to study at a university. In contrast, only 27 out of 100 children from non-academic households pursue a university degree, although twice as many achieve a university entrance qualification. It is not just the financial burden of attending university that might hold someone back from studying, but also a lack of familiarity with the academic environment and difficulties accessing vital information.
Excellent Opportunities for Students from Non-Academic Households at Geisenheim
Universities with a praxis-orientated focus tend to offer more points of reference for prospective students from non-academic backgrounds, and also offer easier access to application-orientated research. Due to nature and vocational training being central to Hochschule Geisenheim University’s approach, the university has seen growing numbers of students from non-academic families and students that have vocational qualifications, rather than a high school diploma. A good number of these students also go on to pursue an academic career at the university after completing their degrees.
"We are pleased to be a university that attracts students from non-academic families as well as those with professional qualifications. However, we don't want to rest on our laurels, but instead want to help support these student groups even more in the future. In addition to further developing of our degree programs and stepping up our efforts in providing advice to students, the services offered by ArbeiterKind.de also play an important role. I am therefore delighted to be able to further expand and consolidate our existing collaboration with ArbeiterKind.de into a fully realized cooperation agreement," commented Professor Mirjam Hey, Vice-President for Academic & Student Affairs at Hochschule Geisenheim University.
"Education is a fundamental part of someone’s journey through life. Social background should not be the determining factor for a person's educational path – the goal of ArbeiterKind.de is to create equal opportunities in this respect. Cooperation with universities is of great importance here, and I am therefore very pleased that we have agreed to deepen our cooperation with Hochschule Geisenheim University today. My visit and the discussions held today were very valuable and greatly enjoyable," commented Katja Urbatsch, founder of ArbeiterKind.de.
Comments by Geisenheim Students from Non-Academic Families
"The informal atmosphere and Hochschule Geisenheim University’s praxis-oriented approach appealed to me from the very beginning and made the decision to study here easy," says Lukas Schneider, who is in his fourth semester of a Landscape Architecture degree.
"I’d initially trained as a fruit juice technician at a vocational college, and it was immediately clear to me that I wanted to continue on that path," reports Jonas Dullnig, who is in the fourth semester of his Beverage Technology program.
"I really enjoy deepening my training by studying at Geisenheim after completing vocational college. It was something I really wanted to do," adds Lena Zolobczuk, who is in the second semester of her Viticulture and Enology degree.
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