Culinary internship programme within WiSoUSA

Of bratwurst and roulades: A culinary internship programme at the training centre of the South Thuringia Chamber of Crafts BTZ Rohr as part of the WiSoUSA project

Guest article by Astrid Friedrich, HWK Südthüringen

In autumn 2023, we were able to welcome our partners from Tennessee, with whom we are working as part of WiSoUSA, to our training campus for the second time in 2023. Following the study visit in June 2023, two trainees from the butchery programme at Walters State Community College (WSCC) took part in the eagerly awaited culinary internship programme in Thuringia. The second part of the group consisted of colleagues from WSCC and the organisation TnCIS (The Tennessee Consortium for International Studies), who at the same time familiarised themselves with the conditions in southern Thuringia for further cooperation projects. During these days, the project partners not only explored the delicious culinary traditions of the region, but also gained in-depth insights into the German education system and the work of the South Thuringia Chamber of Crafts. This educational visit was financed by the WSCC and TnCIS’s own funds, which demonstrates the great interest of the partners in Tennessee in the German dual training system.

A local entrepreneur not only offered us cosy accommodation at the Hotel Distelhof, in Dillstädt for our American guests, but also insights into Thuringian cuisine and the opportunity for the two trainees to experience a day’s work experience in a “real” German work situation. It was only appropriate that the group travelled during the Oktoberfest season. We were therefore able to use the weekend of arrival to offer a historical city tour in Erfurt as well as visit the Oktoberfest.

Visiting the Oktoberfest in Erfurt. Picture: HWK Südthüringen

Over the course of the week, the WSCC apprentices received in-depth, hands-on butchery training that complemented the curriculum in Tennessee and prepared them for an exam modelled on the German dual training system in early May 2024.

Practical training in meat cutting. Picture: HWK Südthüringen

The WSCC trainers and the TnCIS representative were given an in-depth insight into the German education system. The possibilities and framework conditions for future cooperation between TnCIS and the HWK Südthüringen were also discussed. As the representative of TnCIS wanted to familiarise herself with the social and cultural framework conditions of the South Thuringia region in order to possibly carry out further international placements, the HWK team organised a suitable programme. This included a consultation with an insurance company on liability and travel health insurance, a visit to sports and leisure facilities, including the ski sports centre in Oberhof, and a visit to the SHK hospital in Arnstadt to show the standard of hospital care.

Visiting the hospital in Arnstadt. Picture: HWK Südthüringen

Before the group left again, we visited Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, one of the cultural highlights of the region. As guided tours are offered in English, the group was able to familiarise themselves particularly well with the history of the Thuringia region.

The group during the visit to Wartburg Castle. Picture: HWK Südthüringen

The project “WiSoUSA – Promotion of implementation projects of organisations of economic and social partners within the framework of international vocational training cooperation; HWK Südthüringen Implementation Tennessee” is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It will be officially completed in July 2024. We can already say that we have succeeded in establishing a sustainable educational partnership over the three years of the project and are already planning follow-up projects with the WSCC, TnCIS and some local high schools.