The spotlight is on Mr. Jörn Kunnert and Dr. Jörg Tuttas, Multi-Media Berufsbildende Schulen, Germany.

Multi-Media Berufsbildende Schulen (MMBbS) in Hannover, Germany, is the largest vocational school in the Lower Saxony region, specializing in IT and digital arts. The school has over 2,100 students, of which around 1,200 are pursuing careers in computer science. The three-year program balances classroom instruction with hands-on training in local technology companies. Preparing students with data management and multi-media skills for a competitive job market is the objective of the vocational school.

Mr. Jörn Kunnert and Dr. Jörg Tuttas teach classes in Data and Process Analysis and in Application Development. Tuttas, Head of IT teaching and specialist in application development, has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Paderborn University and a PhD in Educational Science from the University of Hannover. Kunnert studied Applied Computer Science at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony. Later, he pursued a masters degree in Education for vocational schools, specializing in Computer Science at Bremen University. He spent many years working as a .NET software developer and as an Oracle database administrator and developer, managing various client projects worldwide.

MMBbS became an Oracle Academy Institutional member in 2019.

Oracle Academy: Can you tell us more about which parts of Oracle Academy curriculum MMBbS makes use of?

Jörg Tuttas: We draw upon many of the courses that Oracle Academy offers in the disciplines of database, Java, Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java, Oracle APEX and Oracle Cloud… everything that can help our students become sufficiently skilled for when they enter the job market in Germany.

The materials are very well structured and provide us with slides, tasks, quizzes, exams, and projects for teaching the basics and for going deeper as the program unfolds.

Oracle Academy: Impressive! And do you also introduce them to cloud computing and AI?

Jörg Tuttas: That’s right. We encourage students to join the Oracle Academy Cloud Program during their first year. It is an elective to help deepen their knowledge of cloud technologies and there’s a lot of enthusiasm for this track. They get to install a Linux distribution onto a virtual machine in the cloud and access it via a Secure Shell (SSH). That allows them to work with their virtual environments from anywhere, at any time. This flexibility helps them develop critical skills in using the command line to navigate file systems, as well as install and configure software — skills that are essential in today’s IT landscape.

Oracle Cloud has proved to be a powerful platform that the students can access every day, in class and outside, for virtualizing applications using the Docker engine. Oracle Cloud accounts equip them to install Docker onto their virtual machines, set up containers and even run server components, key activities of immense value for dealing later with real-world challenges in cloud computing and system administration.

Jörn Kunnert: In the area of AI, Oracle Cloud is used for machine learning. We use data to make predictions, leveraging examples from Oracle Academy’s Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java course or adapting them to Python instead of Java.

For instance, weather data may be used to predict whether a person will exercise on a given day or whether a customer is likely to purchase a specific product. These predictions use data from an Oracle Database via SQL or Python, often employing a decision tree model. The students prepare the necessary data, select an algorithm using PL/SQL, and analyze the results within the Oracle Database or visualize data with Python libraries.

Oracle Academy: Sounds like your school is getting students well initiated into AI. Do you also use the Oracle Academy Member Hub?

Jörn Kunnert: We do. The Oracle Academy Member Hub is an ideal resource for accessing learning materials from the course catalogue to share with students. It especially allows us to come to the aid of any student who feels challenged. For example, if students are working on a database management course, their quiz or exam results might reveal difficulties with SQL joins. The teacher can then use Oracle Academy Education Bytes to create targeted exercises to reinforce the topic of SQL joins — or any other area where they may not be performing well.

Additionally, the Member Hub stores a wealth of downloadable practice projects, such as designing a library management system, which can be worked on collaboratively in class and discussed in depth, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Oracle Academy: As a vocational school, MMBbS must encourage certification. Is this the case with Oracle Academy courses?

Jörn Kunnert: Indeed. In fact, we intensively prepare the students for Oracle Certified Professional qualifications. We conduct regular webinars on Oracle database, Java and AI. The material for SQL, PL/SQL, Oracle APEX, and Java programming allows us to guide them through to sitting the exam at the Oracle test center in Hannover.

One such webinar covers Oracle Java Programming and is aimed at IT specialists from all disciplines who want to have their skills in using Java certified. In addition, we run an introduction to Java professional development with Spring Boot (Spring Framework), in which the Oracle database is addressed using conventional SQL, Hibernate ORM and Oracle Java Stored Procedures. Students for this course install Oracle SQL Developer, Oracle Data Modeler, and an Oracle Express Edition database.

In summary, preparing students for certification and other qualifications is an essential part of our vocational school offering.

Oracle Academy: And outside of teaching, what are your main interests?

Jörn Kunnert: When time permits, I enjoy making music, playing the electric guitar, and I occasionally attend concerts. To achieve a healthy work-life balance I practice yoga and meditation in my free time or take a walk in nature.

Jörg Tuttas: I like cycling in my free time. I also enjoy playing badminton.

Thank you, Mr. Jörn Kunnert and Dr. Jörg Tuttas, for your passion for Oracle Academy and for preparing your students to make a positive impact.