ETU “LETI” showcased its educational programs at the annual international higher education fair StudyWorld in Berlin.
On May 17-18, Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin hosted an annual higher education fair StudyWorld. Over 150 educational institutions from 30 countries, including 10 Russian universities, participated in the event. Renat Yalyshev, Head of the International Students Office of Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, represented the university at the fair.
Educational programs presented by universities, various workshops, as well as the seminar entitled “Promotion of Russian Education in Germany” organized by Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin (representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Federal Republic of Germany) and other activities awaited the participants. Representatives of Russian and German universities, business community and the Russian Embassy in Berlin took part in the event. Guests of the fair got to know about the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and its activity concerning cooperation with Russian universities. The guests were also told about the ways universities fulfill the industries’ demand for experts in modern photonics, as well as what factors in the success of the university’s international cooperation effort.
ETU “LETI” introduced the guests to its educational programs, leading research projects and scientific partnerships with overseas universities. Prospective enrollees from Germany expressed their interest in summer and winter schools, Master’s programs in English, as well as Postgraduate and PhD level programs. All the information about ETU was translated into German.
During his visit, Renat Yalyshev gave a talk about educational programs of ETU at a Russian-language radio station “Russian Berlin”. The radio station broadcasts for 230 thousand Russian speakers living in Berlin. He also took part in a workshop dedicated to teaching IT in Russia.
“Regardless of the current political climate, ETU has to maintain a friendship with Germany. We are trying to adjust our educational programs to make them more interesting and useful for international students. It’s important to note that due to the fact that Germans are finding Russian universities less and less attractive, universities experience a more competitive environment. We are willing to look for new avenues of cooperation with Germany.”
Renat Yalyshev, Head of the International Students Office
The history of fruitful cooperation of ETU and German universities and industries could be traced back to the XIX century. During that time, Karl Heinrich von Siemens facilitated internships of ETU (then called Electrotechnical Institute of Alexander III) students and professors at leading German companies. In 1899, with approval of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Karl Heinrich von Siemens was awarded the title of Honorary Electrical Engineer.
Close contacts were maintained during the Soviet Union as well. In the period from 1952 till 1996, nearly 500 German students graduated from Leningrad Electrotechnical University (ETU). The most successful graduates of the university were Werner Dietzsch(year of graduation 1972), owner and manager of DEN GmbH, Matthias Nagel (year of graduation 1976), co-founder of Go East Generationen e.V (community of alumni of Russian and Soviet universities). In 2017, the Academic Council of Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” decided to grant Werner Dietzsch the title of Honorary Electrical Engineer for his contribution to applied research and engineering education, as well for his social and political activism.
Since 2017, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” and Go East Generationen e.V have been organizing an annual European Alumni Forum in Berlin.
TU Ilmenau is now the key international partner of ETU “LETI”. The institutions began their partnership in the Soviet times and revived it after German unification. Since 2012, the universities have been jointly implementing the project “Russian-German Engineering Faculty” – and a Double Degree program in its framework. Students of Master’s level programs can study at Ilmenau for one semester. 17 ETU students already graduated with a double degree. Six Master’s students of technical faculties are currently enrolled in the program. They have to meet strict requirements when it comes to their knowledge of German and English. To help students, the Russian-German Engineering Faculty organizes the courses of the German language.
Professors from TU Ilmenau deliver lectures in German for students of ETU. After the blocks of lectures are delivered, students are tested on the topic of the lecture and are later awarded participation certificates.
The result of cooperation between ETU “LETI” and TU Ilmenau is a higher level of preparation and competitive abilities of future engineers, which makes them even more sought-after at the labor market.
Due to close engagement with German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), ETU students have been taking internships at leading German universities. The university has been organizing short and long term exchange programs for German students.