Recruitment of highly qualified scientists often also depends on their spouses finding appropriate jobs in the region. During this phase of orientation, dual career services offer a large range of advice. Activities mainly focus on enhancing professional perspectives of the spouse. KIT has now initiated a closer cooperation of universities and research institutions in Karlsruhe as regards the support of dual careers. Twelve institutions signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a dual career network in order to attract the best minds.
A scientist is interested in a new job at a university or research institution. Often, the question then arises: Can my spouse, my partner continue his/her career at this location? The number of dual career couples, both spouses of which are highly qualified and career-oriented is constantly increasing. Only those institutions will be successful in appointment and employment negotiations, which will support the spouses of scientists in the search for an adequate job and help the couple to make their jobs compatible with their family. KIT offers an own dual career service for this purpose.
“We inform about employment options, support the application, establish first contacts to potential regional employers,” says the Head of the Dual Career Office of KIT, Felicitas Thönnessen. “Often, the partners are highly qualified and we support them in continuing their professional career in our region.” Of course, every candidate has to properly apply for the job. In the end, the recruiting institution alone decides on whether it wants to employ the person or not.
A scientist is interested in a new job at a university or research institution. Often, the question then arises: Can my spouse, my partner continue his/her career at this location? The number of dual career couples, both spouses of which are highly qualified and career-oriented is constantly increasing. Only those institutions will be successful in appointment and employment negotiations, which will support the spouses of scientists in the search for an adequate job and help the couple to make their jobs compatible with their family. KIT offers an own dual career service for this purpose.
“We inform about employment options, support the application, establish first contacts to potential regional employers,” says the Head of the Dual Career Office of KIT, Felicitas Thönnessen. “Often, the partners are highly qualified and we support them in continuing their professional career in our region.” Of course, every candidate has to properly apply for the job. In the end, the recruiting institution alone decides on whether it wants to employ the person or not.
In the national and international competition of research and education institutions for highly qualified scientists, good framework conditions are of increasing importance. For this reason, the twelve universities and research institutions in Karlsruhe have agreed on a memorandum of understanding on establishing a dual career network. Efforts are aimed at attracting the best minds and at using the potentials of the spouses for the benefit of Karlsruhe as a location of science and industry. The institutions adopt the dual career strategy as a recruiting instrument and support each other in the search for adequate employment for the spouses of top scientists that are to be recruited and bound to the region.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by KIT, the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), the Karlsruhe Cooperative State University, the Research Center for Information Technology, the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT), the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB), the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Karlshochschule International University, the Max Rubner Institute (MRI), the Karlsruhe University of Education, and the ZKM I Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. The network is open to other cooperation partners from research, science, and the public service sector of the region.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.