The perfect start to a successful career

Vocational training at UW/H

The office administration trainee programme at Witten/Herdecke University offers a wide variety of tasks. Trainees spend most of their time in the administration department, where they get to know various departments. They gain in-depth experience in the Human Resources department and the Financial Accounting department, where they each spend six months supporting the team.

Through our mentoring programme, experienced trainees are on hand to support new trainees. Even before the training programme begins, any questions can be answered during joint activities such as bowling or going out for a meal.

How the training programme works

Trainees often start in the information or post office. Here, they gain an overview of the university, come into contact with many members of staff, and take on their first organisational tasks, such as handling post and answering the telephone.

This is followed by placements in other departments:

• Human Resources Department
  During their six months in the Human Resources Department, trainees learn how to draw up employment contracts, set up staff records in the payroll system – there’s a lot to bear in mind here too – and gain a broad understanding of employment law, social security law and tax law. They independently handle applications for temporary staff and ensure that contracts can be drawn up on time.
• Financial Accounting/Controlling
  The Financial Accounting department covers all the key rules and methods for posting invoices. Topics such as input VAT, fees, cash discounts and split entries are covered, and trainees familiarise themselves with posting invoices, including individual bank transfers, data carriers, general ledgers and accounts receivable. The training period in ‘Fibu’ lasts a total of 5 months.
• Communication/Marketing
  In the Communication/Marketing department, trainees are introduced to research methods and learn about target group and market research. They help to communicate topics from research and teaching to the public and are involved in the development of information resources for prospective students.
• Dental Clinic
  In the Dental Clinic’s administration department – specifically in accounts receivable – trainees handle tasks such as sending reminders and invoices, speaking to patients on the phone and answering enquiries. Their duties also include credit checks and working with statistics.
• Faculty of Medicine In the Faculty of Medicine, the role is characterised by close contact with students. This is where questions are answered regarding how exams are set and marked, or exactly how an exam is conducted. Here, trainees gain an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at our university.
• Professional Campus
  The Professional Campus department organises the university’s externally offered continuing professional development programme. Tasks in this department include liaising with service providers, handling customer enquiries and supporting the team at major events. The placement also offers insights into the Career Service and Alumni Management departments.
• Research Funding
  The ResearchFunding team assists with identifying suitable funding bodies, financial planning and ensuring research applications are formally correct, in order to increase the chances of securing funding for research projects. Trainees are responsible for calculating direct and indirect costs and drawing up financial plans. There is direct contact with researchers, and the trainees assist staff with the application process.

Additional opportunities & special projects

The university offers its staff and trainees an excellent range of further training and development opportunities. They can take part in various courses, for example in Excel. The programme also includes seminars on project and process skills, health promotion, methodological skills and much more. English courses are held regularly as part of the training programme. This ensures that our trainees receive ongoing language and technical training, making it easier for them to work with international students, staff or visitors.

But that’s not all. Our business trainees traditionally form the organising team for our annual Christmas party. How many staff members will be attending? What does the planning involve? What needs to be arranged? – This not only entails a great deal of responsibility, but also requires creativity and the ability to work as part of a team. New ideas and suggestions are always welcome here.

Kolja Jürgens
Thanks to the wide range of departments, you quickly become familiar with the university’s organisational structure. You also get to know yourself better, in terms of your own strengths and weaknesses. Different skills and talents are required in every department you work in. That way, you quickly find out what suits you and what doesn’t.

Jan Hammerschmidt
Organising the Christmas party is the annual highlight for us trainees. Together, we spend over three months gathering ideas, which are then put into practice at the start of December as part of the Christmas party. Organising such a large-scale project is a challenging and brilliant task that’s always great fun.
Year after year, it’s always lovely to see the enthusiasm and gratitude of our colleagues.

Witten/Herdecke University endeavours to offer trainees permanent employment following their training. Although the university does not guarantee employment following the apprenticeship, in recent years all apprentices who applied for internal posts at the end of their training have been offered permanent employment.

Applications should be submitted via the link in our job advertisement. If the apprenticeship vacancies are not listed there, they have not yet been advertised. Applications should ideally be submitted in PDF format so that everything can be processed directly and without any problems.