The Final Study Sprint – Cross-Divisional Networking Event

Since 2016, we have been bringing together all dual students from across the Schwarz Group during the final year of their degree at a special cross-divisional networking event. This year’s event was held at Heilbronn Bildungscampus with some 270 attendees.

As well as giving the students the opportunity to talk to one another and share their experiences, the event also provided an insight into the wide range of areas covered by the Group – the perfect motivation to propel them through the final sprint in their studies and into the world of work.

The event kicked off on Monday evening with a get-together and welcome from Tim Bisping, Senior Vice President HR at Schwarz Dienstleistungen. After a speech by our General Partner Gerd Chrzanowski, the students got to put all their burning questions to him in a Q&A session.

Well rested and fed after a sociable breakfast together, the students started Tuesday morning with an introductory speech by Roland Hehn, Chief HR Officer at Schwarz Dienstleistungen. As the students come from different areas and companies of Schwarz Group and both their courses of study and day-to-day working lives vary greatly, so too did the subsequent talks that were arranged for them. Before arriving at the event, they were able to choose four talks from the fields of purchasing, production, marketing, real estate & finance, PreZero, and IT & digital.

The event was rounded off with a photo box and networking opportunities at lunch. We took the chance to speak to a few of the participants about the event:

Laura, dual student at Lidl, told us that the highlight for her was the opportunity to talk to Gerd, as she was able to ask him any questions she had. She was fascinated by the collective influence that the companies of Schwarz Group have.

Jamie-Lee (Kaufland) shares this opinion. She was also thrilled that Gerd gave them so much of his time in the evening and was open to answering their questions. She said it was really great to see how curious all the participants were and how they all got involved. If she were to describe the event in a few words, she would say it was motivating, appreciative, and informative.

Julia from PreZero sums up the event in two words: inspiring and exciting. She also really enjoyed Gerd’s speech and the insights into the different companies.

The last person we spoke to was Andy, a dual student at Schwarz IT. He found the overview of the Group really valuable because it gave him an insight into the other divisions. What stuck with him in particular was the sustainable way in which the companies of Schwarz Group do business, for example with our waste and recycling management across the recycling loop.

We are delighted that the event was so well received by the students once again this year and wish our 2020 cohort all the best as they embark on the final sprint in their studies.

Interested in completing a dual study program with us as well? Then apply now!