Girls and Engineering - Yes, They Can

On the occasion of the federal-wide Vocational Orientation Day for Girls, the so-called Girls' Day, girls were able to gain an insight into professional life and to enter male domains. In St. Georgen, the companies ebm-Papst and A. Maier took an active part in the test day for girls.

Are mechatronics, electronics and mechanics typical vocational fields for boys?
"Apparently, yes! However, there is nothing I can think of that girls wouldn't be able to do just as well as boys would", says Hansjörg Kaltenbrunner. He is the training department head at ebm-Papst and is presently responsible for 17 apprentices learning these three professions. All of them are young men accomplishing their apprenticeship. "It would be nice if we also had female apprentices who would break into this male domain", says Kaltenbrunner.

The fan manufacturer has been involved in Girls' Day ever since 2003 and offers young women the opportunity to have a look at a profession requiring either craftsman or technical skill. "Up to now, we have received only one single application from a girl who had been at the Girls' Day previously."

The eleven girls who came to ebm-Papst from the broader surroundings were allowed to give proof of their craftsmanship and technical ability after having participated in a tour of the factory and having seen the pieces presented by the present apprentices. While mounting a small flashlight, they demonstrated their aptitude at handling a soldering gun and drill.

The girls showed interest. "I wanted to see where my parents work, yet I think that such a profession is not the thing for me", explained Nadine Fehrenbach from Moenchweiler, who doesn't have a specific career aspiration yet. Helena Maurer from Tennenbronn was very enthusiastic about her perusal of the profession world. "Soldering was lots of fun."

Fountain pens and math notebooks were swapped against files as well as turning and milling machines by five girls who joined the Girls' Day at the company A. Maier at its premises in Peterzell yesterday. The pupils from the intermediate secondary and the special school in St. Georgen as well as the Zinzendorf schools in Koenigsfeld created their own pieces of jewelry made of stainless steel.

The girls were able, here also, to get an insight at daily life in a profession which they probably would not have considered when making plans for the future. "It's fun, you are able to do a lot of things on your own", said Alina Franke, who was adding the finishing touch to her self-made pendant by sandblasting it. Svenja Heß is sure that "it's going to be a technical profession".

Participating in Girls' Day also always means for Peter Kinces, manager of the training department, "hoping to awaken the girls' interest in technical professions". Source: Südkurier

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