Klagenfurt Scholarship: Interview with Flex Althofen scholarship holders

Stanislav Bernatskyi (Master Informatics), Julian Haupt (Master Business Administration) and Katharina Stengg (Master Informatics) receive financial and non-material support from Flex Althofen as part of the Klagenfurt Scholarship. We spoke with them about their collaboration with Flex and the Klagenfurt Scholarship.

You were a Flex scholarship holder and received financial support for two years. What was your collaboration like?

Katharina Stengg: At the beginning of the scholarship, I was offered an introduction via Zoom, where I was able to get to know some staff members from the Digital Manufacturing department. We stayed in contact and later I had the opportunity to complete a 2-month internship at Flex. This internship was also recognised as part of my studies.

What I particularly remember: the employees in the department were very welcoming and supported me throughout, and the working environment was very good.

Stanislav Bernatskyi: We met bimonthly and talked about all the possible common topics that are present at university and a workplace using Flex as an example. Mr. Buchner told me a lot about how the IT department works, what their tasks are and what tools they use to achieve them. It helped me realise what subjects and topics from university I should focus on to be a valuable asset in the industry based on the examples that he provided. He also provided input on which courses I could take.

Julian Haupt: Our collaboration mainly involved my 2-month work placement, which I completed at Flex as part of my Master’s degree. We defined a project in various meetings before the internship, which I was able to develop and implement during these 2 months. The project was in the area of Logistics Services and involved a material flow concept for the site in Althofen. The project was interesting and I was able to put a lot of theoretical content from my studies into practice, as I chose PLM (production and logistics management) as my elective subject.

What did you initially expect from the cooperation with Flex? Were your expectations met?

Katharina Stengg: I was hoping for new contacts and insights into the industry. My expectations were more than fulfilled. I was able to complete an interesting internship with great colleagues. My direct supervisor Ms. Raseta and the whole team were able to give me valuable insights into the practical application of the content of my degree programme.

Stanislav Bernatskyi: I expected support with the choice of university subjects, precisely which ones would be beneficial in the future in the industry. All the questions that I had were answered and plenty of support was provided. Mr. Buchner held small lectures specifically for me on various topics that I showed interest in.

Why would you advise current students to apply for the Klagenfurt Scholarship?

Julian Haupt: The Klagenfurt Scholarship offers a unique opportunity for committed students. On the one hand, you can always fall back on a reliable partner during your Master’s programme, be it in the course of a professional internship or a possible job after graduation. On the other hand, you get to know other students who have the same ambitions as you. I can only recommend the scholarship to any motivated student!

Katharina Stengg: You benefit from the financial support; it’s always nice to be rewarded for your achievements during your studies. Compared to other scholarships, however, the Klagenfurt scholarship also offers direct contact with various companies. For example, we visited Dynatrace as part of the scholarship or had networking meetings with all the sponsors.