After 25 years, Prof. Dr. Klaus J. Zink hands over the scientific management of the Institute for Technology and Work (ITA) to Prof. Dr. Matthias Rohs
25 years ago, Klaus J. Zink founded the institute from his former chair at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern as an independent organization and built it up over the years into a recognized and successful research institution. On April 1, 2020, he will now hand over the scientific management to his successor Prof. Dr. Matthias Rohs, holder of the chair for adult education at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern.
40 years ago Klaus J. Zink began his career as a full professor at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern in the Department of Industrial Management and Work Science. At the end of 1994, he founded the Institute for Technology and Work (ITA) e.V., which he has been leading ever since in personal union as Scientific Director and Chairman of the Board. In 1996, the Institute was recognized as a scientific institution at the TU Kaiserslautern by the Senate of the TU Kaiserslautern and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In the following years, he built up the Institute and established various fields of competence around research and development for people and organisations. With him, applied industrial science research gained a renowned reputation in Kaiserslautern, as well as in organization and management theory in Germany. In 2012 he finished his time as full professor, but continued to work as senior research professor for "Industrial Management and Human Factors" at the TU Kaiserslautern as well as scientific director and chairman of the board of the institute. In 2018, he finally ended his board activities and was appointed honorary chairman in recognition of his unselfish commitment and his outstanding dedication to the association. Today marks the end of his senior research professorship, as a result of which Klaus J. Zink also hands over the scientific management of the Institute to Prof. Dr. Matthias Rohs. Klaus J. Zink will remain associated with the institute as honorary chairman and member of the scientific steering committee.
His successor, Prof. Dr. Matthias Rohs, holds the chair for adult education at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. He studied educational science, sociology and psychology at the Free University of Berlin and received his doctorate on further education in Hamburg. Matthias Rohs has worked at various universities and research institutes in Germany and Switzerland. In addition, he worked for several years in human resources development at Deutsche Telekom and was a consultant for in-company training. His research focuses on continuing education and digitization. For more than 20 years, he has been particularly concerned with questions of teaching and learning with digital media, the competence requirements for teachers and the effects of digitization on education providers. Matthias Rohs is a member of the Advisory Board of the Future Initiative Rhineland-Palatinate (ZIRP), as well as an expert and consultant for ministries, universities, companies, foundations and associations. In addition, he is the technical director of the Adult Education and Human Resources Development courses at the Distance and Independent Studies Center of the TU Kaiserslautern.
The institute, which is now under new scientific management, deals in its research and implementation projects with the current and future requirements for the successful design of companies, non-profit and public organisations as well as their responsibility towards their employees, customers and society. The institute currently employs about 25 staff* from various disciplines and generates an annual turnover of almost 2 million euros. The Institute's funding and clients include federal and state ministries as well as private and social economy companies. Further information: www.ita-kl.de