PrivatProf. Julius Köpke: It is always a pleasure to guide students from various cultures and academic backgrounds
Academic supervisor of Technology Scholarship holders studying Master’s degree programme in Informatics, Prof. Julius Köpke shares his thoughts on the benefits of the scholarship programme both for students and local ICT industry.
In the scope of the Technology Scholarships programme, you have been providing academic guidance to several scholarship holders. One of them was Natyra Ferati. How has this experience been for you?
It is always a pleasure to guide students from various cultures and academic backgrounds who participate in the Technology Scholarships programme through their academic careers. These students, just like Natyra, are typically highly ambitious, hard-working, and highly skilled. On the one hand, this is a result of the programme’s design. On the other hand, students who are willing to pursue their Master’s abroad usually come with a distinctive mindset for reaching their goals.
What are the Faculty of Technical Science’s main goals with the Technology Scholarships programme?
The central aim for the faculty is to enlarge the group of active students in the different technical study programmes and to gain more visibility of the university for students from abroad.
Read the full interview with Natyra Ferati here.
From your perspective as an academic supervisor, what are the advantages of the Technology Scholarships programme for students? How is studying at the Faculty of Technical Sciences benefiting their academic and professional development?
The Technology Scholarships programme allows students to substantially extend their prior knowledge from their Bachelor’s degree at the University of Klagenfurt. The technical sciences in Klagenfurt are characterized by a highly research-driven environment, small group sizes, and an excellent ratio of the number of students and professors.
These benefits are paired with the close relationship between local companies and students within the programme. This allows the students to accumulate significant work experience and, in many cases, to start a career in Austria.
In what way do you think the local ICT industry benefits by supporting this scholarship programme?
The ICT industry is facing a shortage of skilled workforce in general. The scholarship programme successfully addresses this issue. It enables companies to connect with pre-selected, highly skilled students. The programme has been running successfully for several years now. Many students like Natyra Ferati, who started as interns in local companies, have become essential and highly regarded permanent team members.
