Women in engineering – a growing trend
Women and technology is still a strange combination for many people, but not at Schenck Process. Of the students currently on the mechatronics course at the Duale Hochschule in Mannheim, 15 percent are female, but at Schenck Process the figure is over 30 percent. And this figure is growing all the time!
More and more women are deciding to study a technical subject such as the mechatronics course. Opportunities for female students at Schenck Process are good too! Angela Metzger, head of training, says: "The female school leavers applying for our courses have excellent entry requirements for technical courses. They have normally taken a STEM subject as one of their advanced courses and are also keen on technology. We find confirmation of their abilities as we select applicants in technical aptitude tests and group exercises. Female applicants aren't given preferential treatment at Schenck Process. We don't have a set figure for the number of female applicants we choose. Those awarded a training contract have at least the same qualifications as their male colleagues. The female students continue to work well and gain good exam results during their studies. In the last ten years, no female student has dropped out of the dual studies course at Schenck Process. The budding female engineers also display very good soft skills during the practical part of their course, for example organisational skills and the ability to cooperate and communicate but also hard work, self-discipline and flexibility. In the teams where women contribute their views and arguments, this translates into a positive working environment and a view of the bigger picture."
Mareike Kallenbach and Tanja Senf are two of the female students on
the dual studies course in mechatronics at Schenck Process. So both are
being trained in a traditionally male profession.
Both spend their 4th practical phase at international Schenck Process
Group Locations. Mareike Kallenbach is working on a project in Australia
and Tanja Senf is part of a team based in England.
Both are convinced that their choice of a technical career was the right
one. For example, Tanja Senf, who had to adapt to working very hard, is
delighted with the fantastic support she received from the company. And
Mareike Kallenbach's experience was "totally positive!" – she urges girls
to: "Believe in yourself!"
» Studying at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University
Contact commercial apprentices:
Angelika Georg
Tel. +49 (0) 61 51-15 31 13 27
a.georg@schenckprocess.com
Contact students:
Angela Metzger
Tel. +49 (0) 61 51-15 31 26 10
a.metzger@schenckprocess.com
© Schenck Process GmbH, 2012
