Business Practice Starts in the Lecture Hall: KLU Expands Employer Partnerships with International Companies
McKinsey & Company, FRoSTA, CMA-CGM, AB InBev, and 4flow have joined Kühne Logistics University (KLU) as official employer partners, creating new opportunities for students to engage with real-world business challenges and build early connections with potential employers.
Alongside academic excellence and research, practice-oriented learning formats are becoming increasingly important for developing future-ready skills. KLU, with its Hamburg Campus, Germany and a second campus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has long focused on knowledge transfer with industry partners and the integration of real business cases into its programs. These efforts are now being further expanded through new partnerships.
Ready for the real world while still studying
Employer partnerships at KLU go beyond traditional recruiting formats. Companies engage in hands-on projects, excursions, guest lectures, as well as community and networking events. Students gain direct insights into current challenges in business and management, logistics and supply chain management, as well as applied data science and business analytics.
One example is the KLU course “Empowerment Skills,” organized by the Career Service team and an integral part of the curriculum. In this format, leaders from KLU’s extended international corporate network – such as Beiersdorf and Lufthansa – as well as from official employer partners like FRoSTA speak with students about leadership, responsibility, and career paths.
Sara Velte, Lead Recruiter at KLU’s new partner McKinsey & Company, says: “The partnership with KLU provides us with an excellent opportunity to connect with highly qualified students who share our passion for making an impact. We greatly value this collaboration and look forward to meeting future leaders from the KLU community.”
The partnership with CMA-CGM serves as another example of how events such as the innovatin day Beyond Now and the MBA Hackathon are made possible.
Student in the Master of Science in Business Analytics and Data Science, Julian Köhn, emphasizes: “In today’s economic climate, employer partnerships on campus are incredibly valuable for students: they provide direct interaction, personal insights, and help us better understand complex career paths like consulting. Practical workshops, in particular, give us clear guidance and prepare us for what employers are really looking for.”
New Spaces for Interaction on Campus
In addition to formal coursework, there is a growing number of formats that enable direct exchange between students and companies, such as events like the Career Connect career fair, themed study days like the KLU Finance Summit, or projects run by the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center.
These new employer partnerships are not only a benefit for students but also for companies. They gain early access to international talent and can actively contribute to the education of future professionals and leaders.
