Global Field Learning of Korean and German Meister Students Achieved as One Team Over Two Weeks in Germany
The Korean-German Vocational High School students who met in Bremen have successfully completed their first week as a global team.
The 2023 Seoul Robot High School Global Competency Development Program was operated in Bremen, Germany during September 4 to 15, 2023. This program, based on the Practical Enterprise (PE) program for Entrepreneurial skills development provided by the Korea Pen, the Korean Central Office of PEN Worldwide Association, was executed in collaboration with TBZ Mitte (Technische Bildungszentrum Mitte) in Bremen, the Europaschule Schulzentrum Utbremen, as well as Hansestadt Bremen Die Senatorin für Kinder und Bildung.
The Korean participants, consisting of 20 second-year students majoring in robot design, control, and systems at Seoul Robotics High School, underwent a 90-hour after-school course conducted primarily in English before traveling to Germany. They participated in the Entrepreneurship Practice Enterprise program and established four technology-based virtual startups.
These four startup PEs, so-called virtual enterprises, formed a global team in Bremen, Germany, together with 20 students majoring in technology at TBZ Mitte participating as team members.
During the first week of September, a total of 40 students (20 Korean students and 20 German students) worked on global team building, product reinforcement with technical features, and mock investment pitch.
On Friday, the 8th of September, they visited Europaschule Schulzentrum Utbremen, a European school located a 10-minute walk from TBZ Mitte, and conducted a mock investment attraction presentation. This event was highly successful, with approximately 10 students majoring in economics and foreign languages and four faculty members from Europaschule Schulzentrum Utbremen participating as mock investors.
In addition to their learning activities on campus, Korean students attended regular morning class with their German homestay roommates and also participated in a German automation system class specially prepared for them by the German teacher.
Furthermore, they enjoyed company visit program as well as cultural experience events:
Barbecue buffet in the school garden.
Geocaching (a treasure hunting activity in the city center of Bremen, where historical sites are concentrated).
Visit to the Mercedes Benz company and AirBus
LAN party with plenty of pizza, and more.
Every day was filled with experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.
Another remarkable and valuable experience was when the parent of a German student invited approximately 40 German and Korean students to his home for a garden party. They enjoyed the finest sausage barbecue in Bremen, Germany, along with various foods prepared and sent by the German students' parents. The Korean and German students played ball games, danced, and strengthened their friendships with each other, ending their week in a foreign country on a very warm note.
The specialized high school global field learning project, initiated by the Ministry of Education in 2011, aims to enhance students' global capabilities by offering various overseas training opportunities to students of specialized high schools and Meister high schools.
The exchange between Seoul Robotics High School and Germany's TBZ Mitte, taking place for the first time this year, is expected to lead to more sustainable exchanges in the future, as an equal number of German students are scheduled to visit Korea in the first half of 2024.