Growing Older/IMS
July, 2012
Experience from far-off: Seniors share their knowlege with people in developing countries
When Experience Becomes Ripe Old age implies not only autumn, it sometimes means creativity and expertise. In Germany more than 10.000 experienced pensioners do honorary jobs both at home and abroad. The “Senior Experten Service” (SES) organizes a platform where elderly people share their experiences with younger generations.
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he SES offers a wide range of services, which vary from training, to solving problems, to giving professional advice. The organization was founded in 1983 by the Association of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Coopera-
tion and Development (German acronym: BMZ). The SES started its activities in developing countries. After the fall of Berlin Wall the SES engaged in developing programs in Eastern European countries as well in Germany. “Senior experts are retired specialists from different areas of expertise” said Bettina Hartmann, head of the experts department of the SES. Besides training staff and providing vocational support, the organization helps individuals and companies solve their problems and find the best way to a brighter future. Young people in need of vocational training such as electricians or mechanics approach the SES from all over the country as well as from abroad, asking for trai-
ning and advice. In Germany the organization puts the people who need training in direct contact with senior experts from the same region. “Since human contact is very important for the training, we make sure that the trainer and the trainee become acquainted with each other”, Bettina Hartmann explained. “When we notice that both parties get along with each other, we then make a contract for a year, which can be theoretically prolonged according to the trainee’s need.” One of the organization’s experts is Peter Viktor Ludwig. Before his retirement he used to work as manager in several cable factories. “Many technical professions such as specialized carpentry seem to die out in Germa-
ny; yet such professions exist and are still needed in the developing countries,” said Ludwig. Besides offering his vast experience, he also tries to find new senior experts who are willing to join the SES. Overseas companies and enterprises apply for training either
% Qualifications 43 Technical area 30 Comercial sector 13 Training area Materials management 6 5 Human resources 3 IT-sector directly or through the SES representatives in their respective countries. The SES dispatches subsequently senior experts with the expertise that fits into the applicant’s professional needs. Since many of these companies cannot afford the training fees, the organization‘s public funds cover the overall expenses, such as the insurance of the experts and the traveling costs. The SES organizes and offers different programs. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the organization carries out a project by the name “New Impulse for Pupils”. With the support of the senior experts, school children of different ages are encouraged to get in touch with handiwork, natural sciences and technology. The SES is financed by the BMZ and has now fourteen branch offices nationwide. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research finances furthermore an SES’s initiative by the name of “Vera” that aims to prevent apprentices from breaking off their training.
Generations bridge: seniors help school children in Germany
Foto: SES
Foto: SES
Mohammed Al-Sarray
Accumulated Knowledge Foto: Mohammed Al-Sarray
Some academics do not want to stop studying, teaching and researching at higher educational institutions. Working at the university for a long period of time seems to create a relationship that cannot easily be broken off with retirement.
Emeritus: Frank Kearful challenged his retirement
Emeritus is a term used to describe a professor who had to retire due to his or her age but is still allowed to teach at a university without pay. In Germany, however, this practice is slightly different from other countries. Frank Kearful is an American professor who got the chance to work in different academic environments both in the United States and Germany. He witnessed several changes within German society. After decades of teaching in Germany he became a professor emeritus at the University of Bonn.
When did you start teaching at Interesting about being a profesthe University of Bonn? sor in Germany is that when one I started teaching in 1974 and I finishes the PhD, the doctor tithave been an emeritus since 2004. le can become part of the name. What is an emeritus? What is What motivated you to keep on special about it in Germany? teaching after retirement? In Germany the term emeritus I like teaching. I enjoy doing it. means to go on teaching after re- It also helps me with my writing tirement as much or as little as since teaching helps me develop you want but without ideas for writing. I getting paid. A Geronly teach one class „After man professor has to week. Since I am an retirement aemeritus be a civil servant. In the professor I am I feel I United States though not obliged to attend professors are not cior faculty am more department vil servants, they hold meetings. I do not have tenure. So I became a independent.“ to deal with bureaucracivil servant although cy, what relieves me a I am not German citizen. Since lot. Thus, after retirement I feel I many academics immigrated to am more independent. other countries after the Second Due to the long time you spent World War German authorities at German universities; did you decided to make an exception and get to know different educatioallowed foreigners to be civil ser- nal systems in Germany? vants without becoming German The German system changed citzens. from the way it used to be. I am
very pleased with the bachelor and master degree system which is different from the old “magister” and “diplom” system. What were the most remarkable events you experienced during your career as a university professor in Germany? Although Bonn was not like Berlin or Frankfurt, by the time when I arrived there by the end of the sixties there were already political meetings. After class, my students and I used to go to bars where we spoke about politics. I had students who became leading figure of some German political parties. I had one student from the SPD, one from FDP, one from CDU. We talked about politics after the class, unless politics was already part of the content of the class. This political activity seemed to die out in the following years. Anyway, many generations went on and I witnessed most of them.