The st.i.p.(study and intensive practice) scholarship and internship program is a cooperation between Lufthansa and the international University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef. Find out directly from the participants what experiences they gathered with the program during their first year!

Six weeks before studies were to begin at the university, the first of five courses began in Seeheim. After getting briefly acquainted and receiving an introduction from our trainer Thomas, the first seminar work started with the topic air freight/cargo. The A1 course covered the Lufthansa cargo fleet, procedures, loading capability, Lufthansa Cargo services and packages, the transportation of dangerous goods (DGR), along with the EDP and Internet systems.

After successfully completing the final exam, all ten participants received their Lufthansa Cargo certificates. At the conclusion of our first successfully completed course, we visited the Lufthansa Cargo Center at the Frankfurt airport and experienced how the logistics behind the cargo carrier work. That very day our 4-week practical internship with Lufthansa Cargo began.

Our 4-week practical assignment offered us the first chance to put our acquired knowledge into practice: we worked as interns for Lufthansa Cargo in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hannover or London Heathrow. During this time we were active in the areas of cargo acceptance, manifesting, flight closure, customs, booking, customer support, cargo marketing, and sales promotion.

The range of assignments during our practical internship with
Lufthansa Cargo was huge: from large amounts of packages right on up to transporting a Lamborghini. But no matter which type of freight is concerned: concentration and conscientiousness are needed in order to ensure damage-free transportation and a satisfied customer.

At the Frankfurt airport office we were able to familiarize ourselves with the daily routine of cargo operations and to enhance our EDP capabilities.
st.i.p. participant Alexander Faust describes his experience as follows: "With my Aviation Management studies, I have found a way to combine my interest in aviation with business economics. st.i.p. also offers the opportunity to gather practical experience and gain insights into the industry."

Our studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef began in mid-September. During the "Intro Week" we received an introduction to life on campus, working techniques, and study courses. We learned the fundamentals of using a notebook and took part in our first seminars in Business Communication. And a Welcome Party was also par for the course!

Subjects such as mathematics, statistics, service management, communication technology, and software training made up the foundation of our aviation studies. Aviation politics, aviation economics, and aviation management rounded up the course of study. Subjects such as micro and macro economy, accounting, airline and airport management, traffic rights, logistics, yield management, controlling, and further electives will be added later on.

At the beginning of October we welcomed the next generation of st.i.p. participants. We got together with the st.i.p. initiator Mrs. Frau Berthold-Neumann, the UAS President Mrs. Klute-Wetterauer, the Deutschen Lufthansa AG Head of Group Personnel Marketing Mr. Fay, as well as the responsible head of Aviation Management, Professor Leibold, to exchange ideas in the campus restaurant.

At the end of October "Special Week" took place at the UAS Bad Honnef, during which practical experts imparted their knowledge on aviation topics.  Of particular interest: lectures by Mr. Ostertag on the topic "Global Ground Services", by Mr. Oedekoven on "Advantage through Cooperation in the Cargo Business" or by Mr. Röska on "Hub management in Munich". We were then able to further reinforce our industry-specific issues in subsequent seminars and workshops.

Our st.i.p. colleagues Cristina Sanchez and Manuel Amse were able to gather interesting insights at the Lufthansa annual general meeting: they attended the dress rehearsal and spent the day of the actual meeting at the counter where the speker requests were collected. There, they were able to ascertain what an enormous effort is made to answer all the stockholders’ questions.

During the entire semester, parallel to the course of study, a practical program takes place at the UAS which consists of guest speakers, specialist lectures, as well as visits to airports and airlines. For example we looked behind the scenes at the Frankfurt airport and got to know the Cargo Center, the maintenance hangers, and the Flight Training Center.

In December and January all st.i.p. participants took part in a seminar held by Peter Maurer. He is the author of the book Aviation Management and he gave us detailed insights into the Lufthansa Aviation Group, the business segments, the economic status and the future outlook. The subsequent discussion of current issues was particularly interesting.

"Since my childhood I have been an aviation enthusiast: the smell of kerosene, airport operations, the sound of engines… it is a fascination for flying that makes me want to work in this line of business. With st.i.p. I can gather valuable experience, get to know people and cultures, and work in an environment in which no day is like any other."
Tobias Stadler, st.i.p. program participant