An essential part of our MBA in International Management at Pforzheim University is to bring students into contact with numerous companies during their time in our program. This enables our international MBA students to build up an extensive professional network in Germany and to establish important contacts with future employers.    
A highlight of the summer semester awaited the students directly after their exams at the Hockenheimring with the Race for Talents event, which was organized by the Career Center of Pforzheim University.
In the VIP lounge of the east grandstand of the Hockenheimring, six well-known companies met students from the Business School and School of Engineering for career talks on an equal footing. The nationally and internationally active companies were not only able to present themselves as attractive employers in small rounds of talks. This year, the company representatives were also able to take to the track with the students in joint teams during the e-carting event.
The companies 1&1, Adolf Würth, Alphartis, egf Manufaktur, Rutronik and Würth Elektronik were impressed by the special atmosphere during the event. For them, the event was a highlight alongside the classic trade fair formats that they usually attend.
While some of the students held talks with the companies first, the others had a hot race on the e-cart track under the east stand. The students were also able to test their tire changing skills on the pit stop simulator. Just like in Formula 1, the time was counted and the fastest driver in the e-cart and the fastest team were crowned at the end.
In the end, the goal the Career Center’s goal was completely achieved: “At the Race for Talents, we want to combine career talks and emotions. At the Hockenheimring, our students can drive e-carts and practice pit-stop tire changes directly after the exam phase, as well as chat about their careers in a relaxed atmosphere with representatives from attractive companies. That´s a perfect end to the summer semester,” stated Professor Dr. Markus-Oliver Schwaab.

text: Career Center, MBA
photos: Aditya Yardi