This year's Ukrainian interns arrived on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. They come from 10 different vocational schools from different regions in Ukraine. After an overnight stay at DEULA Baden-Württemberg GmbH Kirchheim-Teck, they were handed over to their host families. They will complete their internships on the farms for 6 months. 
 

The 23 interns began their journey by bus on May 20, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. from Kiev and were welcomed by the AKI team in Kirchheim for lunch on May 21, 2024. Two interns had already arrived at the end of April, one of whom was also able to attend the induction.

The interns had already taken part in an online seminar on intercultural aspects of the internship, which was followed by an on-site introductory seminar from May 21 to May 22.

On the first day of the introductory seminar, the interns were welcomed by Falk Kullen, Managing Director of AKI e.V., and were then informed about all the background and organizational matters of the internship. The interns were also told everything they needed to know for a successful internship, including how to keep a report booklet, for example. 

On the second day, the trainees received an introduction and explanation from Mr. Rieker (DEULA) about attaching agricultural equipment to a tractor. Mr. Fischer from the employers' liability insurance association also gave a safety briefing on accident prevention. Later, in the early afternoon, the host families arrived to pick up their interns. The three accompanying persons from the Scientific and Methodological Center in Kiev had also brought samples from Ukraine for the companies. After an official greeting from Mr. Schwab, the deputy chairman of the board of AKI e.V., the host family and interns came together for the handover.

This is the beginning of a special opportunity for the students from Ukraine. In the future, they will be able to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their home country. In addition, they will have the opportunity to improve their language skills by communicating directly in the language environment with their host families and getting to know the culture of Germany.

The AKI team would like to thank DEULA Baden-Württemberg GmbH for the warm welcome, the conscientious planning of all matters and also the spontaneous opportunity to receive a machine introduction. Thank you very much!