German guests

German professionals at CLC seek temporary employment
By Steve Waller, Public Information Specialist, Central Lakes College
Two young professionals from Germany will seek temporary employment in the United States after a semester of classes at Central Lakes College.
Barbara Felix and Wolfgang Zollner are students at the Brainerd campus through the year-long exchange program, Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals. They are among 75 German scholarship recipients. CLC is one of 59 colleges in 32 states hosting the students.
During the fall term, Felix and Zollner are completing community service projects as required by the program, which also asks that they find internships in a career field.
Felix has education and experience in health insurance customer service, having worked as a social insurance clerk from September 2006 to July 2010.
Zollner worked for BMW Corp. as an industrial mechanic apprentice from September 2007 to February 2010. He attended a vocational school in Germany for advanced technical qualifications.
Both students are fluent in English, have competent computer skills, and have been tutoring German students at CLC. They are active in the college International Club and have helped organize community events and fundraisers at CLC as well as volunteering at the Brainerd area soup kitchen.
Felix is staying with Jeanette Rydberg, a child development instructor at CLC. Zollner is housed at the home of Jean Mershon, a customized training representative at CLC.
Felix recently was selected for a month-long Congressional internship in Washington, D.C., and after that she wants to work in the Brainerd area. “The people in the Brainerd area are so friendly,” she said. “And the landscape is so beautiful.”
Zollner, who has traveled to Spain and Ireland, is also eager to see more of the United States via an automobile he purchased after securing a driver’s license as stipulated by the exchange program. His skills include welding and servicing production equipment. He has been trained in milling and lathe operation and has taken courses in pneumatics, and control technologies.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, in its 27th year, was designed to strengthen ties between the younger generation of the United States and Germany. Endorsed by members of the Congress and the German Parliament (Bundestag), the program has enabled over 3,500 young professionals to trade countries with their counterparts to live, study and work for a year in a foreign environment.
The program is financially supported by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as well as the German Bundestag. CDS International, Inc. is designated to administer the program in the United States through a grant agreement with the U.S. State Department.
In Germany, the program is administered by CDS International’s partner organization, InWEnt gGmbH, in Bonn.

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange is currently seeking qualified American applicants for the 2011-2012 program year in Germany. For more information, contact Amy Stiegler, Program Assistant, at 212-497-3522 or astiegler@cdsintl.org
In addition to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, CDS International also administers a variety of other internship programs. For more information on CDS International and its programs, including the Congress-Bundestag program, go to http://www.cdsintl.org