Mar 27, 2024
CIPSEM courses to jump-start your career
Dagmar Möbius
Since 1977, over 2,750 experts from 145 countries have participated in the CIPSEM courses. Every year, the Alumni Team surveys those who completed the course five or ten years ago. Many have achieved notable professional positions or political office, and the courses have had a gratifyingly positive impact in other ways.
Presentation of certificates at the end of the 88th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV Course: Dr. Anna Görner (TUD), Isabel Bunce (BMUV), Dr. André Lindner (TUD), Dr. María José Iturbide, current Minister of Environment of Guatemala, D. Schmachtel (TUD), Dr. P. Gallo
The most recent survey, conducted in 2024, included responses from students in 2014 and 2019. With 30 main questions divided into the topics of general information, maximizing work capacity, maximizing institutional capacity, transferring expertise to practice, alumni network, and respondent feedback, the CIPSEM team is pleased with the 76 completed questionnaires (25 for 2014 and 51 for 2019). The largest number of responses came from Africa and Asia. A third of the respondents were women and two thirds were men. There are plans to reduce this current gender imbalance. “We empower women and support the women who participate in our courses, as the imbalance in the target regions is in some cases even more pronounced than in Germany,” said Dr. André Lindner.
Figure 1: How participation in the course has positively impacted respondents' careers. // Figure 2: Whether alumni would recommend the course to colleagues.
Contacts maintained after the course
Even after their courses ended, the alumni, who are scattered over all four corners the world, often stay in contact with each other. However, the intensity of these contacts decreased the longer it had been since the CIPSEM course. 48 percent of 2014 alumni and around 88 percent of 2019 alumni stated that they are still in contact with their fellow alumni because they became friends since attending the course. Many (24 percent from 2014, 41 percent from 2019) regularly discuss professional aspects with each other.
More social media platforms
There are CIPSEM alumni groups on Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter). There are also mailing lists. Most former participants stay in touch via Facebook, aftet this, it's LinkedIn and WhatsApp. Prof. Uta Berger often hears from participants from the 1980s that they are delighted that CIPSEM still exists.
Greater responsibility after the courses
“It is remarkable how many alumni say that the course they took helped them to take on more responsibility. The course very often acts as a springboard,” says Course Director Dr. Anna Görner. “We are extremely proud that some alumni hold or have held important political offices, such as the Armenian Minister of the Environment or the Guatemalan Minister of the Environment.”
You can read some more examples in this issue.
Origin of participants in all UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV courses from 1977 to 2023
Transfer-to-Action Fellowships
Since 2022, CIPSEM alumni have been able to apply for a Transfer-to-Action Fellowship immediately after the end of the course. The fellowship is endowed with EUR 2000. This is a continuation of the UNEP/UNESCO/Federal Ministry for the Environment course program, in which practical and application-oriented learning takes place and inspiration gained from the program can be put into practice.
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