Support for „Café Pi“
How do you attract students to a tutoring program – and how do you ensure they stay motivated throughout the school year? This was precisely the question dealt with this school year by the “Café Pi” P-Seminar at the Maria-Theresia-Gymnasium in Augsburg. The seminar offered tutoring to younger students and sought to make its program even better known and more appealing. As part of an existing partnership with us, they asked for marketing expertise and practical insights to help them achieve this.
Visit and return visit
An initial exchange took place as early as November right at the Maria-Theresia-Gymnasium. Isabella Fetzer, Head of People & Culture, visited the seminar in person and got a firsthand look at the tutoring program. She offered some initial ideas on how to reach target audiences, communicate the program’s offerings clearly, and keep participants motivated over the long term. A return visit followed in May: The 11th-graders from the seminar came to visit us in Merching and gained insight into the working world at FORUM.
The discussion with two colleagues from the marketing department was particularly valuable: Our apprentice Karoline Seifert and dual student Maria Schmid shared insights into their daily work, described their responsibilities, and answered questions from the 11th-grade students. This allowed the students not only to take away specific ideas for their own project but also to learn just how versatile marketing can be in practice. In addition, the two also described how their own application processes went and what was important during those processes. They encouraged the students to gain an initial impression of their future dream jobs through internships.
Benefits for both sides
In addition to providing expert input, FORUM also supported the project financially: With a financial contribution, we made it possible to provide refreshments as part of the “Café Pi” initiative—an important element in creating a pleasant atmosphere and further motivating younger students to participate in the program.
School partnerships like these are an important part of our regional involvement. They help us raise awareness about FORUM as a company and connect with young talent early on. At the same time, these partnerships offer schools the opportunity to provide hands-on career guidance and give their students insights into real-world business processes.
Title image: Isabella Fetzer (li.), Head of People & Culture, with teacher Anja Meyer-Lorenz