Study, research and shape the working world of tomorrow

Oliver Keim is a Master's student at RPTU and is also doing research at the ITA, the Institute for Technology and Work in Kaiserslautern. The fact that he ended up there is thanks to his interdisciplinary studies, his commitment and a professor who opened doors for him at the right time.

A recruiter opens his laptop in the morning. There used to be a pile of applications next to it. He read and evaluated each one himself. Today, software has already done that. His desk is empty, his job: a different one.

Oliver Keim is concerned with precisely such developments. In his Master's thesis, he is investigating how HR professionals react to the use of artificial intelligence. "Many people initially associate AI with the worry that tasks will be eliminated," he says. "But whether this happens depends on how companies introduce new technologies and whether they take their employees along with them in this process."

Oliver Keim is not only working on how this can be achieved in his Master's thesis, but also at the Institute for Technology and Work, an institute affiliated with RPTU. He would hardly have expected that his path would lead him here of all places - right in the middle of the AI debate, right in the middle of the reality of companies - when he started his studies.

Making friends quickly at the campus university

Oliver Keim comes from near Cologne. He initially began studying to become a teacher of history and religion and realized that theory suited him, but everyday school life less so. He drops out. "After just a few months of studying, I realized that social sciences was the subject I really wanted to study," he says looking back. "My best friend then recommended RPTU to me and I came across Integrative Social Sciences there."

Oliver Keim comes to RPTU in Kaiserslautern in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Between two lockdowns, he has exactly one week to catch up. "Fortunately, the fact that RPTU is a campus university and offers great introductory events made it very easy to get to know people," he says. "The city is also the perfect size for bumping into people in everyday life." He still lives with the people he met during those first few days in a shared flat.

Oliver Keim finds the degree course to be approachable. "We learned a lot of theory in the Bachelor's course, but it was always very well explained and didactically prepared," he says. "You could tell that the lecturers made an effort to really get people on board."

A degree program that opens doors

His degree program combines disciplines and allows Oliver Keim to get to know different departments: business administration, economics, psychology, philosophy and adult education. "This combination of different departments broadens your horizons and is a real opportunity," he says. "After three or four semesters at the latest, you know what suits you best and many doors are open to you."

One of these doors was opened to him by the chair of the Department of Adult Education: "Following the Introduction to Adult Education lecture in the second semester, Prof. Dr. Matthias Rohs approached me and drew my attention to a job advertisement for a research assistant at the Institute of Technology and Work," says Oliver Keim. He applied, was accepted and has been working on digitalization projects right from the start.

Forward-looking work at the ITA - for 30 years

The Institute for Technology and Work is the only institute for occupational science in Rhineland-Palatinate and an institute at RPTU. It is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Around 35 to 40 people from various disciplines research and advise at the interface between people, technology and organization. The institute works closely with other institutions in Kaiserslautern. "It's such an academic bubble," says Oliver Keim. "Over time, you really get to know each other. At the same time, we work directly with companies - this combination makes the environment so unique and exciting."

His work experience at the ITA also shaped his decision for the topic of his Bachelor's thesis: he is looking at how in-company training providers are dealing with increasing Digitalization. A topic that has stuck with him. After completing his Bachelor's degree, Oliver Keim switched to the Master's in Human Resource Management & Organizational Behavior: "HR is sometimes a lot about personnel development and organizational development," he says. "That fitted in perfectly with my focus on adult education."

Insights into large companies

The degree program is practice-oriented right from the start. Large companies give lectures at the university and open their plants for factory visits. "It was exciting to see how what I learned on the course is actually put into practice," he says. "I really wanted to get even deeper into the practical side of things."

He was given this opportunity a short time later: in April 2025, Oliver Keim was promoted to Junior Research Associate at the ITA.

Funded by the federal government and the EU, Oliver Keim now works in an interdisciplinary team to support small and medium-sized companies with the introduction of Digitalization and AI. "I am currently involved in the ZUKIPRO project, the Future Center for Human-Centered AI in Production Work in Hesse," reports Oliver Keim. "Together with the other partners in the network, we support and advise companies on how digital transformation can succeed through the development of employee skills and process design."

Science meets business practice

The ITA works independently and on a project basis: Those who want to can take on responsibility early on. "I was allowed to work on real projects straight away," says Oliver Keim. "You learn science and business practice at the same time. That's not possible in a lecture hall alone."

"You learn science and business practice at the same time here. That's not possible in a lecture hall alone," says Oliver Keim about his experience at the ITA.

Oliver Keim also recommends working at the ITA to other students. He often gets his start through a student assistant position, sometimes through a recommendation from his studies, sometimes through his own initiative. "If you stay and take on responsibility, you can develop step by step," says Oliver Keim. He now works permanently at the ITA as a part-time junior research assistant.

If you want, you can write your thesis directly in conjunction with the institute. Like Oliver Keim - he is using his background knowledge for his master's thesis on the reaction of HR staff to the use of AI.

Keep an open mind, ask questions, seize opportunities

If you ask Oliver Keim what he would tell other students, the answer is in line with his own approach - pragmatic, open and motivated: "If you want to know something, just ask. I've never experienced a question being received badly," he says. "On the contrary: whether in the lecture hall, at the ITA or in contact with fellow students - I was always supported."

Oliver Keim reassures anyone who doesn't yet know exactly where the path will lead: "It's usually during the first semester that you find out what you really enjoy." For him, this is the interface between AI, modern technology and personnel development. Not a path that was mapped out from the start. But a path that inspires him more and more with every step and leads him into his professional future.