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Guidelines for the Organisation and Design of the Integrated External Practical Semester in the Bachelor Degree Programme in Forestry at Rottenburg University issued 1 July 2005 Table of Contents: Preliminary Remarks on the Usage of Terms…………………………………………………………...………… 1. Organisation of the Practical Semester ........................................................................... 2 1.1 1.2. Time and Duration ................................................................................................... 2 Training Places for Carrying out the Practical Semester ............................................ 2 Generally recognised training places .................................................................. 2 Training places within or outside Germany which require individual recognition 2 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.3. 2. 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3. Change of Training Place ......................................................................................... 3 Situation at the Training Place .................................................................................. 4 Planning, Work and Management Organisation ........................................................ 5 Administration, Legal Relations and Communication ............................................... 5 Practical Work at the Training Place ......................................................................... 6 Design of the Practical Semester in a Forest Enterprise .................................................. 4 Design of the Practical Semester in the Focal Subject Area “Ecology, Nature Conservation and Environmental Protection” ....................................................................................... 6 3.1 3.2 3.3. 3.4 Situation at the Training Place .................................................................................. 6 Planning, Work and Management Organisation ........................................................ 7 Administration, Legal Relations and Communication ............................................... 7 Practical Work at the Training Place ......................................................................... 8 4. Design of the Practical Semester in the Focal Subject Area “Business Administration, Timber Trade and Industry and Plant Breeding” ............................................................. 8 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Situation at the Training Place .................................................................................. 9 Planning, Work and Management Organisation ........................................................ 9 Administration, Legal Relations and Communication ............................................... 9 Practical Work at the Training Place ....................................................................... 10 5. 6. Support Provided to Students During the Practical Semester ........................................ 10 Block Courses .............................................................................................................. 11 7. 8. 9. Documentation and Evaluation of the Practical Semester ............................................. 11 Annexes Integral to these Guidelines ........................................................................... 12 Effective Date ............................................................................................................... 12 2 On the basis of § 8 Paragraph 5 of the Law on Universities and Colleges for Advanced Vocational Studies in Baden-Württemberg (Higher Education Law - LHG) in the official version of 1 Januar 2005 (2. HRÄG, GBl. p. 1) in conjunction with the Study Regulations and Examination Regulations of Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences dated 22 April 2005 the Senate of Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences has decreed on 1 July 2005 the following Guidelines for the Integrated External Practical Semester (hereinafter referred to as the Practical Semester) which forms an integral part of the Bachelor Degree Programme in Forestry: Preliminary Remarks on the Usage of Terms Males and females have equal rights under the German Constitution. Designations of offices and functions in these Guidelines apply in identical fashion to women and men. 1. Organisation of the Practical Semester 1.1 Time and Duration The Practical Semester is a winter semester. It takes place in the fifth academic semester. It starts in the rule on the 1 September of the current year. The duration of the Practical Semester is 20 weeks, which must include at least 95 days of attendance. Days of attendance are to be understood as days of work, i.e. days actually spent at the training place. If days are missed on account of holidays, personal leave or illness and this results in a shortfall of the required 95 days of attendance, the missing days must be made up immediately at the end of the Practical Semester by prolongation. The block courses supplementing the Practical Semester as prescribed under No. 6 of these Guidelines do not count as days of attendance. 1.2. Training Places for Carrying out the Practical Semester Training places that are recognised both generally and individually by Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences for the purposes of the Forestry Degree Programme are to be entered in directories. 1.2.1 Generally recognised training places Training places that are generally recognised for the purposes of the Practical Semester include forestry field offices and forest enterprises in the German Federal Republic, regardless of the type of ownership, provided they are headed by a suitable person, i.e. in the rule by one who has completed a training qualifying for higher-grade or senior forest service or who has successfully completed an academic degree programme in forestry. 1.2.2 Training places within or outside Germany which require individual recognition The Practical Semester may be completed in whole or in part at a training place other than those designated under No. 1.2.1 if it has been recognised by the University as suitable for this purpose. The following establishments may be recognised as training places: 3 - private institutions (e.g. enterprises, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), professional associations, research institutions, governmental or communal institutions (e.g. administrative offices, authorities, corporate bodies, research institutions) within or outside Germany whose work is related to the degree programme and its specialisation areas. - Forest enterprises abroad: In order to be recognised as a training place the forest enterprise must comply with these Guidelines and be capable of conveying the prescribed subject matters of the degree programme. Students wanting to carry out their Practical Semester abroad must have sufficient command of the relevant language. Students must apply to the University for recognition no later than 4 weeks before the intended start of the Practical Semester. The University can demand that the student procure and submit the necessary documents and certificates at his own expense. 1.3. Change of Training Place Students are in principle allowed to change their training place once during the Practical Semester. In this case both training places must meet the requirements of No. 1.2. 4 1.4 Formalities It is the student’s responsibility that the following documents are submitted to the University. (1) training agreement in accordance with Annex No. 1 (2) record of activities (record of time spent in training) in accordance with Annex No. 2 (3) training certificate and assessment of the success of the training in accordance with Annex No. 3 (4) reports prepared by the student in accordance with No. 7 of the Guidelines. The training agreement (1) must be submitted for approval in good time before the start of the Practical Semester; it must also be submitted in good time in the event of a change of training place in accordance with No. 1.3 of these Guidelines. The other documents (2-4) must be submitted all in one after completion of the Practical Semester. 2. Design of the Practical Semester in a Forest Enterprise If the Practical Semester is not carried out at a forestry institution or only in small part, the goals of the training must be in accord with No. 3 or No. 4 of these Guidelines. The training during the Practical Semester should largely consist in familiarising students with, giving them a practical introduction to and allowing them to collaborate in the following areas: 2.1 situation at the training place 2.2 planning, work and management organisation 2.3 administration, legal relations and communication 2.4 practical work at the training place As far as possible, professional skills should be conveyed in such a way as to allow students also to develop their social skills. The following particular training goals and contents are recommended for Practical Semesters carried out at forest authorities and forest enterprises. 2.1 Situation at the Training Place Training goals - Familiarisation with local conditions in the training forest (geographic forest region, climate, geology, soils, abiotic damaging agents) - Familiarisation with the forest structure, forest makeup, forest growth conditions (types of ownership, forest management outcomes, forest functions) - Familiarisation with the game stock situation and its impact on the forest vegetation. - Familiarisation with conditions for operational harvesting in the training forest or at the forest enterprise. - General knowledge of the time and money costs associated with different types of forest work. 5 2.2 Planning, Work and Management Organisation Training goals - Familiarisation with the administrative tasks of a district forest officer. - Basic knowledge of the planning, organisation, supervision and cost calculation tasks involved in the activities of a forest enterprise, in particular:  felling  timber hauling  stand establishment and regeneration  tending of forest stands  forest protection  public relations work and  other work - Ability to prepare and perform remuneration payments at the level of a forest district. - Ability to perform timber recordings. - Insight into the tasks involved in advising and supporting private forest owners. - General knowledge of ways to implement goals relevant to nature conservation and environmental protection in and around forests. - Practical hunting skills and be proficiency in the tasks of hunting management. - Ability to collaborate in the planning, construction and maintenance of forest roads and forest access equipment. - Ability to collaborate in the planning, construction and maintenance of recreation facilities and forest nature trails. 2.3 Administration, Legal Relations and Communication Training goals Students’ direct involvement at the Training place (forestry field office, forest enterprise office) is of particular importance when it comes to administrative tasks. They should attend to administrative procedures that are prepared at the forest district level, familiarise themselves with their subsequent implementation and gain an insight into tasks that are predominantly or exclusively carried out by the forestry field office or the head office of the enterprise. - Familiarisation with the organisational structure of the forest enterprise or forest authority. - Familiarisation with the more important forest administration workflows at the forestry field office or forest enterprise office. - Familiarisation with basics and procedures of timber sale and sales accounting. - Ability to settle accounts with purchase loggers and subcontractor loggers. - Insight into how forest management measures are documented and ability to interpret and evaluate forest business records. - Insight into routine EDP processes. - Insight into the external relations of the forest enterprise or forest authority. - General knowledge of means of promotion of private and public corporate forest ownership. 6 - Insight into the administration, purchase, sale, lease and rental of real property. - Insight into the sovereign tasks of forest authorities. - Ability to collaborate in guided forest tours, lectures and the preparation of media reports. 2.4 Practical Work at the Training Place Students may participate to a limited extent in manual work during the Practical Semester, provided this serves the training goals described above and helps to convey the training content. 3. Design of the Practical Semester in the Focal Subject Area “Ecology, Nature Conservation and Environmental Protection” The wide range of tasks covered by authorities, enterprises and organisations within and outside of Germany that come into consideration as training institutions makes it impossible to give a complete enumeration of all major training goals for the Practical Semester. For this reason the training goals must be determined individually according to the possibilities offered by the training place and along the lines of the following exemplary enumeration. 3.1 Situation at the Training Place Training goals - Familiarisation with the organisation plan at the training place (job descriptions, responsibilities). - Familiarisation with the tasks of the training place, their characteristics, structure, problems and special features. - Familiarisation with the abiotic, biotic, structural and socioeconomic relationships involved in the tasks / projects / project areas of the training place. - Acquisition of in-depth knowledge of abiotic and biotic aspects of tasks / projects /project areas of the training place through collaboration in studies and evaluations. - Familiarisation with the methods used in environmental protection, landscape ecology, nature conservation, applied planning (including GIS applications and special applications software) and regional economy management. 7 3.2 Planning, Work and Management Organisation Training goals - Ability to conduct information talks with the training officer and the employees of the training place. - Familiarisation with implementation strategies and the practice of environmental protection, nature conservation, applied planning and regional economy management. - Basic knowledge of planning, organisation, implementation, controlling and cost calculation in connection with work activities and projects. - Ability to take on and process self-contained tasks / subprojects in a self-reliant manner. - Familiarisation with the problems and developmental scope of a landscape on the basis of practical examples presented to students by the training officer. 3.3. Administration, Legal Relations and Communication Training goals - Knowledge of the organisation, structure and work of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) in the areas of nature conservation, environmental protection, professional associations and lobby associations. - Insight into cashless money transfer systems / payment transactions. - Insight into accounting practices, i.e. in the case of an authority into budgetary accounting and budgetary law, and in the case of an enterprise into business accounting, the preparation of balance sheets, accounts receivable and accounts payable accounting, and preparation of tax declarations. - Knowledge of cost categories, cost centres, costing and profitability calculations. - Insight into the contractual relationships of the training place: sale and purchase agreements, work performance contracts, tenancy and lease contracts. - Insight into the area of personnel management, human resources planning and payroll accounting. - Familiarisation with categories of protected areas - Knowledge of the functional relationships between agriculture, forestry, nature conservation, environmental protection and regional economy in rural areas - Knowledge of applied aspects of legislation (laws, ordinances, guidelines) in the areas of nature conservation, agriculture, forestry, planning, technical environmental protection - Knowledge of responsibilities and the structure of authorities in the areas of nature conservation, forestry and forest management, agriculture, soil, planning, reallotment of land, waters etc. - Practical involvement in problems relating to contractual and liability law - Ability to carry out simple, for some part also advanced clerk tasks under guidance and supervision - Familiarisation with office and workflow organisation - Study visits to relevant partners, authorities, organisations etc. - Handling of tasks, affairs and problems involved in executive and management tasks 8 3.4 Practical Work at the Training Place Students may participate to a limited extent in manual work during the Practical Semester, provided this serves the training goals described above and helps to convey the training content. 4. Design of the Practical Semester in the Focal Subject Area “Business Administration, Timber Trade and Industry and Plant Breeding” Due to great variety, in terms of branch of trade, type, structure and size, among enterprises that come into consideration as training institutions for this focal subject area it is not possible to give a complete enumeration of all major training goals for the Practical Semester. For this reason the training goals must be determined individually according to the possibilities offered by the training place and along the lines of the following exemplary enumeration. 9 4.1 Situation at the Training Place Training goals - Familiarisation with the structure, legal form of business organisation, makeup, organisation and product range of the enterprise providing training - Familiarisation with branch-specific characteristics, problems and special features - Acquisition of information on the company’s market position and business goals - Study of relevant in-company and other branch-specific information - Familiarisation with the workflows of major production stages of the (or a selection of the) company’s production processes with due regard to the special branch and company-specific characteristics in each case - General knowledge of assortment shaping and merchandise knowledge, product manufacture and use, determination of dimensions and quantities, product standards, trade practices and legal regulations - Familiarisation with the determination of demand, order and supply management, sources of supply, incoming inspection - Familiarisation with product presentation, types and organisation of warehousing, upkeep of goods - Familiarisation with sales regions and distribution paths of import and/or export, sales organisation, customer service 4.2 Planning, Work and Management Organisation Training goals - Ability to conduct information talks with the training officer and plant managers, department heads or operations directors. - Familiarisation with the preparation of offers, customer counselling, price policy, terms of delivery and payment, order processing, invoicing and processing of customer complaints - Basic knowledge of marketing, advertising, sales promotion, market exploration and research, price calculation and competitor monitoring - Familiarisation with the packaging and dispatch of goods, shipping and logistics - Acquisition of basic skills of product manufacture (possibly in selected subareas) - Collaboration in various production areas - Observation, depiction and assessment of workflows - Familiarisation with all parameters having an influence on commercial success, business ratios and branch-specific structures and data - Familiarisation with aspects of engineering and processing of simple subtasks under expert guidance - Familiarisation with relevant regulations, standards and trade practices - Study of the relevant accident prevention regulations 4.3 Administration, Legal Relations and Communication Training goals - Insight into cashless money transfer systems/payment transactions, liquidity audits, commercial papers, cheques, cash management, register of accounts, allocation to accounts 10 - General knowledge of financing methods, credit functions, commodity credit, collateralisation, debt collection and litigation - Insight into business accounting, balancing of accounts, schedule of accounts, taxes, inventory and valuation rules, fixed asset register, accounts receivable and accounts payable accounting, end-of-year balancing work, drawing up of balance sheets, tax declarations - Familiarisation with cost categories, cost centres, cost unit accounting, cost apportioning and calculation, profit and loss statement, profitability calculation - Insight into issues of personnel management, personnel records, employment records, regulations of labour law, personnel statistics - Insight into: payroll accounting, social security benefits, charges, types of remuneration, collective bargaining agreements, employees’ representation law, labour-management agreements, legal form and organisational structure of an enterprise - Basic knowledge of human resources planning, job descriptions, personnel guardianship, special training, basic professional and advanced training - Insight into the contractual relationships of the training place: sale and purchase agreements, work performance contracts, deeds of real estate, tenancy and lease contracts. - Basic knowledge in matters relating to insurance, liability and claims adjustment - Instruction on the basis of concrete case examples and ongoing business transactions - Ability to carry out simple, for some part also advanced clerk tasks under guidance and supervision - Familiarisation with workflow organisation, office organisation, organisational means and methods, card files, forms, data acquisition, business statistics - Insight into EDP methods and organisation - Involvement in problems encountered in executive and management tasks 4.4 Practical Work at the Training Place Students may participate to a limited extent in manual work during the Practical Semester, provided this serves the training goals described above and helps to convey the training content. 5. Support Provided to Students During the Practical Semester In addition to the preparatory and follow-up work carried out in the block courses (No. 6 of these Guidelines) students’ training during the Practical Semester should be facilitated by an as close a contact as possible between the University and the recognised training place. As far as capacities and travel distances allow (up to 100 max. as a rule) students will receive support from professors of the University at the training place. In cooperation with the training officers the professors will also strive to permanently optimise and update the Practical Training. Consultations between tutoring professors and students may also take place at the University or some other place within good reach if this is expedient or not otherwise possible. 11 In order to preserve and improve the quality of training the University will organise congresses and advanced training events for the training officers of the training places or make contributions to other suitable events that are of interest to the training places 6. Block Courses § 4 (4) of the Study Regulations and Examination Regulations provides that two block courses of one week duration each be held. The block courses are intended to serve students as a preparation for and follow-up of the Practical Semester and for supplementing and elaborating on its content. They are to be directed by the University. Students are obliged to participate in the block courses. The attendance certificates are a requirement for the official recognition of the Practical Semester for examination purposes. In exceptional, duly justified cases students can be released by the Trainees’ Office from the obligation to participate in a block course on request and at their own risk. Students who leave out a block course must make up the missed content through their own studies. Block courses are mostly held in a seminar setting and with exercises. Their content should be practice-oriented, conveying both specialist and general knowledge, and should be so designed as to promote students’ social competence. The content of block courses will depend on current needs and will be communicated to the students in good time along with the dates. 7. Documentation and Evaluation of the Practical Semester (1) Students are required to prepare 2 to 5 reports in the course of the Practical Semester. The reports must cover the more important topics addressed by students’ practical activities and must comprise a total of approx. 25 pages. The topics of the reports are to be assigned by the training officer. They must be selected such that they promote the student’s methodological competence. Depending on the nature and sphere of work of the training place the report should address the following points in particular: 12 - type, duration and purpose of activities; - workflows and their time-related, organisational and methodological aspects; - human resources, operating resources and deployment of equipment; - forest stands, locations, nature and environment, ecological relationships; - planning, preparation and execution of work, work safety; - economic considerations and commercial valuations; - instructions received and experiences gained The reports are to be submitted to the training officer. (2) Students are required to keep a record of activity (record of time spent in training) during the Practical Semester. The records of activity are to be submitted to the training officer on a monthly basis. (3) The following documents are required for the official recognition of the Practical Semester according to § 4 (6) of the Study Regulations and Examination Regulations - reports prepared by the student - record of activity (Annex No. 2) - training certificate and assessment of the success of the training (Annex No. 3) - attendance certificates for the block courses 8. Annexes Integral to these Guidelines The following Annexes are a binding part of these Guidelines: - Annex No. 1 = training agreement concerning a practical training for the forestry degree programme - Annex No. 2 = record of activity and time specifications for the Practical Semester - Annex No. 3 = Training certificate and assessment of the success of the training for students having participated in the Practical Semester 9. Effective Date The above Guidelines enter into force on 4 October 2005. They will apply to students taking their Practical Semester (5th academic semester) as of the 2007/2008 winter semester. Rottenburg, 1 July 2005 __________________________________ Prof. Dr. Bastian Kaiser, Rector Time of public announcement: posted on 4 July 2005: 04.07.2005 taken down on 20 July 2005 13