We live in very turbulent and challenging times. Companies must compete in international markets with products that not only have to meet qualitative and economic requirements: sustainability and aspects of the circular economy are becoming increasingly important. In general, it can be observed that these conditions raise the requirements placed on managers. In addition to technical expertise, thinking in complex systems as well as soft skills are increasingly in demand. Various studies have shown that organizations in the industrial sector have already anticipated this need for a future skills profile.

Therefore, higher education must now develop and offer more and more suitable training formats for this purpose. Problem-based learning (PBL) can be such a method that fulfills the above-mentioned requirements. The bbw University of Applied Sciences has been working for several years on improving the implementation of PBL in project management modules in industrial engineering for international students at Master's level.

This article highlights the evolutionary process by presenting and discussing our conclusions based on experience and empirical data. One of the special challenges is the international background of the students (mainly from South Asia). In addition, the courses are very practice-oriented, i.e. the tasks for the PBL projects were taken directly from companies in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. In conclusion, it can be said that everyone involved must invest a lot of time and effort to realize this innovative teaching format and to keep adapting it. All parties involved are learning in the process, making it a win-win situation for lecturers, companies and, above all, for the students.

Keywords: Problem-based Learning, Further Academic Training, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, 21st Century Skills, Cultural Diversity, Skill Needs of Labor Market.