Having a blast at the SIEGENIA Tech Camp
Continuing the success of the school holiday initiative for young people
How do you spark an interest in technology in young people while they're still at school? For the third time now, an exciting holiday initiative organised by the SIEGENIA GROUP has shown that there is an answer to this question: during a four-day tech camp at the company's headquarters in Wilnsdorf-Niederdielfen, pupils from the Niederdielfen secondary school got the chance to spend their Easter holidays discovering their love of all things technical. SIEGENIA teamed up with the creative workshop at the University of Siegen, Fab Lab Siegen and FRids e.V. to put together a diverse programme with lots of exciting highlights.
A playful introduction to technical topics
As a major training provider in the region, the SIEGENIA GROUP is committed to inspiring young people's enthusiasm for science and technology at an early age and introducing them to the various careers available within the company. "Technology doesn't have to be complicated – it can be playful, creative and, above all, accessible. With the tech camp, our aim is not only to inspire enthusiasm, but also to give young people early opportunities to engage with the world of work," explains Nina Herter, Head of Human Resources Development. With this in mind, the company deliberately limited the group size to a total of ten pupils from Years 6 and 7. "This enabled us to provide intensive support and tailored guidance to every single person," she adds.
SIEGENIA showed young people that technology can be fun with a wide-ranging programme offering a lively introduction to 3D technologies. It focused on the basics of digital 3D modelling and printing your own designs on a 3D printer. To kick things off, the pupils designed their own name tags. They then worked independently on their own projects to design creative figures and obstacles for a marble run. They were supported by four trainees from SIEGENIA who helped run the camp. Many of the young people found the opportunity to talk face-to-face with our trainees particularly exciting. This gave them the chance to talk to young people their own age who have only recently started their careers," explains Nina Herter.
A wide range of career prospects
During a tour of the factory, the young people learned how their newly acquired knowledge can be put into practice in real industrial processes. The tour covered all areas of SIEGENIA's production and gave them a valuable glimpse of the career prospects in a tech-focused company. The tech camp culminated in an interactive project presentation, to which the participants' parents were also invited. Impressed by the results of their project work, they took the opportunity to explore their own areas of interest in technology and chat with the training staff and project partners.
