Mönchengladbach. The Städtische Gesamtschule Espenstraße in Mönchengladbach and The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) will be working closely together in the future to support pupils in their career choices and possible studies. University President Dr. Thomas Grünewald and School Director Julia Kaizik have signed a cooperation agreement to this end.

Both partners want to inspire young people to study at a university of applied sciences and help them find the right career path. "This partnership enables our pupils to gain an early insight into the world of higher education and prepare for their future academic careers. This seems particularly important in view of the fact that most of our pupils have not yet had any contact with the academic world," says principal Julia Kaizik. The HSNR's Central Student Advice Center supports students and their parents with career guidance and the transition from school to university.

The cooperation can take many different forms - sometimes the pupils can get a taste of university life, sometimes the HSNR sends personnel to the schools. Students report on their day-to-day studies or professors explain their specialty. At the HSNR, boys and girls can attend open lectures, take a look behind the scenes for a day at Girls' & Boys' Day, take part in campus tours, take part in workshops and explore high-tech workshops such as the MakerSpace. Events such as the Engineering Days, the Long Evening of Student Advice or the Study Orientation Weeks offer students the opportunity to get to grips with the wide range of (study) opportunities on offer.

Not only pupils should benefit from the cooperation, but also the teachers at the Espenstraße comprehensive school. An important building block is the exchange between teachers at the school and professors at HSNR. In addition, the HSNR supports teaching education staff in getting young people interested in scientific and technical topics.