"UNIT" University-Trainee Program at WWU Muenster
UNIT is a partnership program between the Institute of Retailing and Distribution at the University of Münster and selected retailers, wholesalers, consulting companies and manufacturers of consumer goods.
History
Due to the lack of practical experience which characterises many university students, the Institute of Retailing and Distribution and its cooperation partners from industry wished to increase the practical orientation of students. An innovative, integrated trainee program was developed, which provides simultaneous academic and practical training for the students.
The first UNIT trainees started their internships in the summer of 1993. At present, we are coaching more than 100 UNIT trainees in roughly 30 companies.
Our Concept
During semester breaks, our UNIT trainees complete several internships in the same company. These training periods build on one another and complement the academic university courses. This parallel trainee concept therefore ensures that our students gain practical experience right from the start and apply the theoretical knowledge that they acquire through their university education. The program entails at least three internships in the same company.
During the university term, the Institute of Retailing and Distribution supports the participants of the trainee program in various ways in the form of a special study group.
Representatives from leading companies give talks on current subjects - based on their own experience in industry. We organize about ten practise lectures each term and several workshops and day trips to companies, where students can learn more about the various companies.
The trainee program commences in the first or second term of the students' degree and is concluded on obtaining the university degree.
Participation in the UNIT program is voluntarily and not required in terms of the examination regulations for the business and management sciences at the Westfälische Wilhelms-University of Münster.