The transition from our current energy system to one based a hundred per cent on sustainable energy sources has begun, and the world’s young people are looking towards Denmark when they need to soak up new knowledge.

A total of one hundred and fifteen foreign students have been attending the international engineering summer schools at Aarhus University. These have been organised in close collaboration with a number of other educational institutions and branch-related companies.

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The summer school programme consists of four intensive courses, each with its own branch of technology. The students will learn about wind, electricity, district heating or biofuel.

Students: “Denmark is a laboratory”

Francesco Del Vecchio is one of the students who have chosen to spend a fortnight of their summer holidays in Denmark. He will be studying the integration of wind into the energy system, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I’ve long dreamt of coming to Denmark, which is decades ahead of other European countries in terms of cleantech. There’s a strong education and research environment here, as well as a number of the world’s leading companies in the branch, and some political visions that make it an extremely interesting case. In many ways, you could say that the country is a development laboratory for green technology,” he says.

Francesco is studying to be an engineer at a university in Italy, and he is counting on a career in the wind industry. Once he has graduated, he will look for a job in Denmark.

Want a share of Danish know-how

The reason for the growing interest among foreign students in the university’s engineering summer schools can be found in particular in a unique study model that involves very close collaboration with the business sector, according to Conni Simonsen, director of the Aarhus University School of Engineering.

“We’re noticing a very great interest in our summer schools among foreign students. They come here because they’d like a share of our knowledge and want to create a greener future for their homeland. They have a unique opportunity to get very close to the companies in the branch, and they’re challenged to use their theoretical knowledge to solve real and very topical technological problems. It’s a form of teaching that’s normally entirely new to them,” she says.

The students follow an intensive two-week course of study, and they are lectured by specialists from companies that include Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Siemens Wind Power A/S, DONG Energy A/S, Novozymes A/S and Grundfos A/S.

Companies on a hunt for talent

Per Hessellund Lauritsen normally works as head of research at Siemens Wind Power, but for the next two weeks, he is taking part in the summer schools for students. He says that the engineering summer schools are helping to highlight Danish advanced technology know-how.

“We’d like to help stimulate an interest in wind energy among young engineering students. The students attending the summer schools are important ambassadors for us. They can help transfer knowledge about our company and expertise, and that can boost our future recruitment opportunities abroad,” he says.

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The same message is echoed by Novozymes A/S. Here the summer schools provide an opportunity for the company to enter into dialogue with talented students from abroad.

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“We’re pleased to take part in the summer schools. Most of our growth at Novozymes takes place outside Denmark, and the summer schools enable us to get in touch with a hand-picked selection of the brightest students from many countries. Access to a recruitment base of well-qualified people is crucial for strengthening our global competitive edge,” says CS Application Manager Ulrich Madsen, Novozymes A/S.

The engineering schools have a limited number of places and therefore admit applicants on the basis of previous student accomplishments and motivation.

Source: Aarhus University