German professionals attending CLC seek temporary employment
Two young professionals from Germany will seek temporary employment in the United States after a semester of classes at Central Lakes College.
Barbara Felix and Wolfgang Zollner are students at the Brainerd campus through the year-long exchange program, Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals. They are among 75 German scholarship recipients. CLC is one of 59 colleges in 32 states hosting the students.
Germans Barbara Felix, 21, and Wolfgang Zollner, 19, are temporary students at Central Lakes College through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program for one semester. They are required to find work related to their career interests during the second semester.
During the fall term, Felix and Zollner are completing community service projects as required by the program, which also asks that they find internships in a career field.
Felix has education and experience in health insurance customer service, having worked as a social insurance clerk from September 2006 to July 2010.
Zollner worked for BMW Corp. as an industrial mechanic apprentice from September 2007 to February 2010. He attended a vocational school in Germany for advanced technical qualifications.
Both students are fluent in English, have competent computer skills, and have been tutoring German students at CLC. They are active in the college International Club and have helped organize community events and fundraisers at CLC as well as volunteering at the Brainerd area soup kitchen.
Felix is staying with Jeanette Rydberg, a child development instructor at CLC. Zollner lives at the home of Jean Mershon, a customized training representative at CLC.
Felix recently was selected for a month-long Congressional internship in Washington. After that she wants to work in the Brainerd area. "The people in the Brainerd area are so friendly," she said in a news release. "And the landscape is so beautiful."
Zollner, who has traveled to Spain and Ireland, is also eager to see more of the United States via an automobile he purchased after securing a driver's license as stipulated by the exchange program. His skills include welding and servicing production equipment. He has been trained in milling and lathe operation and has taken courses in pneumatics, and control technologies.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange is currently seeking qualified American applicants for the 2011-2012 program year in Germany. For more information, contact Amy Stiegler, Program Assistant, at (212) 497-3522 or astiegler@cdsintl.org
In addition to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, CDS International also administers a variety of other internship programs. For more information on CDS International and its programs, including the Congress-Bundestag program, go to http://www.cdsintl.org.