Further expanding of education and training partnership between Bavaria and the USA

Timothy Liston has been the United States Consul General in Munich since July 2021. He met with Prof. Michael Piazolo. A constructive discussion covered issues such as school partnerships, pupil exchange activities and specifically the "Azubis Go USA" programme which offers apprentices the opportunity to gain experience abroad. This grant programme from the Joachim Herz foundation is supported by the State Ministry for Education and Culture together with the Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education and Training and the German-American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US. The programme enables trainees to spend a number of weeks in the USA. Further items discussed included the varied activities of the Amerikahaus in Munich and of the German-American Institute in Nuremberg.

Consul General Liston also outlined the "Meet US" programme run by the embassies and consulates of the United States of America in Germany. This enables pupils at secondary schools in Germany to meet with American guest speakers and find out more about everyday life in the USA. The Consul General emphasized the importance of reaching out to young people in particular in Bavaria and engaging in dialogue with them. Minister for Culture Piazolo also highlighted the importance of intercultural exchange. "Pupil exchange activities are not only enriching in terms of language learning, but they also enable young people to gain an insight into other countries, cultures and mentalities, and they promote tolerance and openness," she explained.

The USA is very much in demand when it comes to individual pupil exchange activities for Bavarian school pupils and, by the same token, Bavaria is also very popular as an exchange destination for young Americans. Across all types of schools, there are currently numerous partnership arrangements in place between Bavarian and American schools.