Students of the Bachelor's degree program "International Personnel Management and Organization" (IPO) and pupils from Friedrich Magnus Schwerd Gymnasium Speyer trained together in application situations and job interviews at the "Company Day" with the participation of numerous companies
On 12.06.2025, the company day took place at Friedrich Magnus Schwerd Gymnasium Speyer as part of the project week, "Abi - und dann? Fit for exams and job applications". The Company Day initiative is a collaboration between the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society and Friedrich Magnus Schwerd Gymnasium. Many employers in the region are also involved. The aim of the company day is to give twelfth-grade pupils and Bachelor students a joint insight into professional practice: Job interviews are simulated in the participating companies: the pupils are in the role of applicants, the students in the role of recruiters. Both sides then give each other feedback. The contact persons from the participating companies and the teachers from the school and university also report back their impressions and give tips for future job interviews.
Under the guidance of lecturer Jan Graevenstein, the students were prepared for the interviews in the "Company Day" course. Particular attention was paid to how to conduct job interviews in a meaningful and non-judgmental way so that the applicant leaves the interview with a positive impression. They were shown how to create an honest and open atmosphere in which both parties feel comfortable.
On the actual company day, after a central welcome by the school management and an introduction to the topic by a student, the participants went into the groups of the participating companies: Diakonissen-Krankenhaus Speyer-Mannheim, the tax & law firm Dengler & Dengler, Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Lebenshilfe Speyer-Schifferstadt and the Rhineland-Palatinate police were all involved, as were Speyer City Council, PFW Aerospace, Sparkasse Vorderpfalz, SpiraTec, TE Connectivity and Vereinigte VR Bank Kur- & Rheinpfalz. One of the companies was SHC-SH-Computersysteme, whose Managing Director is lecturer Jan Graevenstein. After a presentation on the central role of motivation, the 12th graders had the opportunity to formulate their expectations of the company day. The three students in the group then had job interviews and went through their application documents together. It was exciting to see that with the right interview technique, you can find out a lot about the applicant's personality, strengths and potential.
Degree day brought company representatives, students, pupils and education staff together again. After a short introduction by course director Prof. Dr. Claudia Kohl and lecturer Jan Graevenstein, each group presented their experiences. It was particularly impressive to see how determined but also self-confident the students are. Many of the future high school graduates have already gained valuable practical experience and were able to expand their skills with the company day.
The company day also enabled us students to gain an insight into the practical side of things and showed us how to conduct a job interview. It was an experience that also prepared us for our future careers.
Background:
The company day has been a joint initiative of Friedrich Magnus Schwerd Gymnasium Speyer and HWG LU since 2015. Since 2023, the proven project concept has also been continued with Max-Planck-Gymnasium, companies and organizations from Ludwigshafen. The next company day in Ludwigshafen will take place on 19.11.25, followed by a get-together in the afternoon at HWG LU.
Jessica Godfrey, IPO student in her 4th semester
