Since August 1998, the University of Paderborn has been training IT specialists in system integration. The Paderborn Center for Parallel Computing (PC2) celebrated this anniversary by organizing a reunion of the program’s graduates, and the invitation was accepted by 13 of the 16 former and current students. At 38 percent, the share of women who have completed the PC² program is well above the 2016 national German average of 7.9 percent.
During their training and later in their professional lives, system integrators plan, install and administer systems and networks. Another important aspect of the program is IT security, including firewalls and encryption. “When they finish our three-year program, our trainees have excellent career opportunities,” said trainer Andreas Krawinkel.
Krawinkel opened the reunion with a welcome, after which Professor Dr. Christian Plessl, the Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of the PC², provided a brief overview of the center’s current activities and projects. Technology played a role, too: Following the presentation, the group toured the O Building at the university from the basement to the roof. In addition to the high-performance data center, the tour included areas that are normally off limits to the general public, such as the basement that houses the emergency power system, the fire-extinguishing system and the roof with its emergency cooling systems. The program concluded with a dinner where everyone had lots of opportunities to talk and catch up. The former students all agreed that they should not have to wait 20 years for the next reunion.
More information about training programs offered by the university is available here: http://www.uni-paderborn.de/en/zv/4-1/ausbildung/uebersicht-der-ausbildungsberufe/
