The Leonberg adult education center with its branches in Renningen, Rutesheim, Weil der Stadt and Weissach is starting the fall/winter semester with a wide range of courses.
“Education moves!” is the motto and focus of the upcoming fall/winter semester at the Leonberg adult education center. The 104-page course program is available free of charge in the adult education center rooms, town halls, local administrations, banks, savings banks, stationery stores and the library and is also available online at www.vhs.leonberg.de Interested parties can register for the courses immediately via the online form or in writing. The new semester begins on September 23rd.
“The adult education center gets people moving in a positive way – mentally, physically and socially,” says Uwe Painke, the head of the educational institution. “Our offering keeps people moving through educational work and contributes to social cohesion,” Uwe Painke is convinced. This is highly topical and more necessary today than ever before.
VHS contributes to social cohesion
“The adult education center helps to ensure that integration succeeds and also counteracts the shortage of skilled workers with vocational training, which in turn brings more movement into the job market – there is almost nothing that you cannot learn at the adult education center,” says its director. Uwe Painke is not surprised that demand for integration courses remains high. “We meet the demand and are once again offering many German and integration courses. Advice and assessment take place several times a week,” he says. In addition, German tests for immigrants and “Living in Germany” tests are held, among other things. Only those who pass these tests have a chance of permanent residence and naturalization.
With numerous events in the semester focus, people are now being attracted to a wide range of offerings. “Ultimately, it’s about people making progress in all walks of life and that is also the principle of the adult education center,” said Victoria Hepting, the deputy VHS director, at the program presentation. Together with Uwe Painke, Corinne Keller, Cornelia Kriegler, Sharkhuu Oyunjargal, Julia Steberl and Sandra Wächter, she is responsible for the major departments of the VHS.
Almost 800 courses in the fall/winter semester
Every year, up to 20,000 people complete courses at the Leonberg adult education center – and the trend is rising again. In 2023, the adult education center, as a major provider of adult education, really picked up speed again after the sluggish Corona years. Around 17,000 participants attended more than 1,300 events with a total of almost 30,000 teaching hours. The adult education center’s fall/winter semester can keep up with the offerings of the last semester with almost 800 courses. The adult education center’s excursions are still popular. Here, the Leonberg adult education center, with its branches in Renningen, Rutesheim, Weil der Stadt and Weissach, occupies a leading position in the region. A highlight are the bus excursions with historian Holger Starzmann. Destinations are the Kinzig Valley, the Neckar and the Odenwald with stops in Mosbach, Eberbach and the Limes. Four study trips are also planned, including an e-bike trip.
The History and Politics Department offers lectures on the US presidential elections in November. The topics of the environment and climate change are also included in the program. The adult education center is organizing two city walks in Leonberg – sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture. The Monday Academy offers a wide range of courses in seven courses. In the morning, there are topics from philosophy and history. In the afternoon, the program includes “Musical Winter Journey,” “The German Empire Becomes a Colonial Power,” “Pilgrimages in Islam,” and “Icons of Art and Their History(s).”
For the new semester, the Department of Nutrition is offering culinary variety with cooking courses in Creole and Ukrainian cuisine. There is also an organic vegan baking course for Christmas baking.
Languages are the largest department with over 200 courses
In the Department of Medicine and Health, everyone can look forward to theoretical and practice-oriented lectures and courses. In keeping with the semester’s focus of “Education Moves!”, the adult education center is once again offering many exercise courses for all ages and at different fitness levels in the gymnastics and fitness area.
Languages continue to be the largest department at the Leonberg adult education center. More than 200 language courses in 18 different languages are offered. These range from courses for beginners to advanced learners, and rare languages are also taught, as well as German as a foreign language.
Meanwhile, the Leonberg adult education center is also a member of onlinevhs-bw.deThis means that interested parties can book VHS courses that take place online from practically anywhere in the world.
The registrations Registration for the courses can be made in writing or online. The VHS office in Leonberg is open in the mornings, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Registration is possible in writing at: VHS, Neuköllner Straße 3, 71229 Leonberg and online via www.vhs.leonberg.deThe adult education center can be reached by telephone at 07152/990-4930 or by fax at 07152/990-4910.
