13 July 2026 - Training at the URZ Thinking outside the box: networking in IT training
What is the training like at another university computing centre? How do working practices differ – and which ideas might be worth adopting for our own day-to-day training? The university computing centres’ trainee exchange programme provides answers to these questions.
Three institutions are taking part in this year’s trainee exchange programme: Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in Suderburg, and the University of Heidelberg. Over a total period of three weeks, the trainees will each spend one week at a different data centre. The aim is to broaden their horizons, learn about different ways of working and promote exchange between trainees and trainers. This programme is organised with the support of the Training Working Group of the Centres for Communication and Information Processing in Teaching and Research (Zentren für Kommunikation und Informationsverarbeitung in Lehre und Forschung, ZKI e.V.).
A week’s visit to Heidelberg
As a trainee, the exchange in Heidelberg taught me a great deal. Being able to see and experience first-hand what the IT infrastructure at another university can be like is helping me personally on my journey to becoming a better IT specialist. It was also amazing, during my stay, to experience both the beautiful countryside on the way to Heidelberg and the city’s unique atmosphere first-hand by cycling around the area. My thanks go to the trainees and all the trainers at URZ & ZIM, as well as to the ZKI Training Working Group.
Maksim Bril, IT trainee at Heinrich Heine University; Pictured (from left to right): Dennis Ossenfeld, Maksim Bril, und Noemi Rodrigues
From 18 to 22 May, Maksim Bril from Düsseldorf and Dennis Ossenfeld from Suderburg were guests at the University Computer Centre (Universitätsrechenzentrum, URZ) in Heidelberg. The entire week was organised by Noemi Rodrigues, a trainee at the Heidelberg University Computer Centre. She not only planned the technical programme but also co-ordinated the social programme, arranged meetings with the various departments and handled communication with all those involved. She was supported in this by the trainers, who actively facilitated the exchange.
After arriving, the week began with a welcome from Joana Hahn, the Director of the URZ. Throughout the week, the trainees had the opportunity to speak with various staff members from the fields of IT security, network infrastructure, virtualisation and software distribution. They also learnt about various services provided by the data centre, such as heiBOX, heiCLOUD and heiCONF, and gained an insight into the work of the IT Service and Helpdesk. This technical programme was complemented in the afternoons by a campus tour, with stops at the Mathematikon, the Institute of Physics, the University Library and the new audiMAX, as well as a guided tour of the Botanical Gardens. Evening activities, such as going out for pizza and a guided tour of Heidelberg including a visit to the castle, provided an opportunity to socialise with one another as well as with apprentices from other years of training.
Organising the trainee exchange was a wonderful and enriching experience for me. I was delighted that everything went so well in the end and that the participating trainees were able to gain an insight into my day-to-day work. I am particularly grateful to my colleagues, who supported the exchange with such dedication. The stay in Heidelberg was therefore an all-round successful and valuable experience.
Noemi Rodrigues, trainee at the Heidelberg University Computing Centre
The exchange concluded on Friday with a series of presentations. The trainees looked back on the week and outlined which topics they found particularly interesting, what impressions they had taken away from Heidelberg, and what differences they had noticed between the universities and their computing centres. Trainers from Heidelberg's University Computer Centre and Heinrich Heine University attended the final presentation in person. The trainers from Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences followed the presentations online. This meant that the trainees could also follow the outcomes of the exchange and join in celebrating the successful conclusion of the exchange week.