On November 10, 2025, 26 students from Ukraine received their certificates for successfully completing the agricultural internship program in Germany.

The program began on May 13, after the students gathered in Kyiv and travelled to Ulm by bus. Following a brief orientation, they started their internship on farms across Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

To mark the end of their six-month practical experience, the students, their host families, and the AKI team gathered at the Bernhäuser Forst conference center in Filderstadt. After welcoming remarks by AKI Chairman Hans-Benno Wichert and General Manager Tatiana Dettmer, Program Manager Olena Kalinina, selected interns, and two host families shared their personal experiences and impressions from this internship season.

During the ceremony, all students received their certificates. The three top-performing interns of the year – Dariia Rudyk, Mariia Hatsko, and Taras Lutsiuk – were additionally honored with certificates and awards. Longstanding host farms, some supporting the program for ten or twenty years, were also recognized.

After the certificates and awards were presented, all participants attended a joint lunch. This was followed by farewells between the host families and the interns, marked by a sense of reflection and emotion. The next day, the students traveled by bus back to Ukraine. Although the farewells were not easy, the prospect of reuniting with their families after six months of practical training in Germany was a source of anticipation and satisfaction.

AKI’s cooperation with Ukraine dates back to 2009. The program ran successfully until 2014 but had to be paused following the annexation of Crimea and the resulting financial challenges faced by Ukrainian educational institutions. Since 2018, the program has been resumed, with AKI working closely with the Scientific-Methodical Center for Higher and Continuing Vocational Education (WMZ VFPO) in Kyiv.

The program is funded by the Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg (MLR), the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank, and the monthly contributions of the host farms.

AKI thanks all host farms, partners, and sponsors for their dedication and looks forward to continuing this successful cooperation with Ukraine in the coming year.