History

Berufsakademie Villingen-Schwenningen

The so-called »Stuttgart Model« was a joint initiative of the Stuttgart firms of Daimler-Benz, Bosch and Standard Elektrik Lorenz (SEL) which, in 1972, established the combination of theoretical education at the Academy and on-the-job training in a company or institution which forms the basis of today's Cooperative State University.

The Berufsakademie institutions (BA) in Stuttgart and Mannheim were established in 1974, followed by the Berufsakademie Villingen-Schwenningen one year later. The fact that the Berufsakademie Villingen-Schwenningen was established in this rural area is thanks to the initiative of Erwin Teufel, the then Minister President of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The choice of Villingen-Schwenningen in the Schwarzwald-Baar district was a necessary economic decision. The decline of notable companies in the watch industry and consumer electronics made structural economic promotion in the regional centre essential. It soon became apparent that, with the development of an attractive tertiary education landscape, the right step had been taken at just the right time. In recognition of his untiring commitment and his deep affinity towards "his BA", Minister President Erwin Teufel was awarded the title of Honorary Senator in the year 2000 during the 25th anniversary celebrations of the BA VS.

The following years not only saw a steady growth in capacity, but also the continuous expansion of the study programmes offered. 15 academic innovations were developed in Villingen-Schwenningen and, in part, adopted throughout the state. Degree study programmes were transformed into accredited Bachelor programmes in 2006.

Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Villingen-Schwenningen

The Berufsakademie had established its reputation in three-and-a-half years in both quantitative and qualitative terms and gained recognition and respect as an educational institution throughout Germany. Thanks to its popularity among secondary school leavers and the high level of satisfaction of training companies and institutions with its graduates, it soon became a successful model for a system combining academic study and workplace training. A logical consequence of the excellent academic work achieved in the Berufsakademie was its transformation on 1 March 2009 into the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University.

An enormous degree of innovativeness is still apparent in the uninterrupted development of new study programmes. The Cooperative State University thus makes a significant contribution to the creation of sustainable jobs and the training and education of the executives required for this.