Saxony’s high-tech sector urgently needs skilled workers. To address this problem, Silicon Saxony is focusing on two key areas: Promoting young talent and career guidance as well as attracting and retaining international skilled workers. One example of the promotion of young talent is the “MINT to be” (MINT translates to STEM) career guidance project, which is specifically aimed at getting girls interested in STEM professions and making it easier for them to enter Saxony’s high-tech industries.
With female role models to STEM professions: inspiring 400 girls in two years
The “MINT to be” project aims to inspire young people from the 7th grade onwards – especially girls – to pursue careers and courses of study in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (STEM). To this end, it relies on a network of female role models, the so-called ‘MINTorinnen’. They hold workshops at schools and share their own experiences to help young people explore the high-tech world and see future prospects in technical professions. The aim is to reach 400 girls over two years with the help of 25 female STEM mentors. In addition, a special website is being developed that provides clear and cliché-free information about the various career paths in the STEM fields.
Finding your dream job with the Ozobot
A school workshop with the Ozobot is currently being developed as part of the project. The Ozobot is a small programmable robot that is controlled using color codes and teaches young people the basics of programming and robotics in a fun way. In this workshop, young people learn how this small robot interacts with the fields of microelectronics, software and robotics and which job profiles play a role in its development.
The workshops are prepared by the “MINT to be” project manager Ann-Christin Böttger. She received support from a Silicon Saxony student intern. Lennox, who is in the 9th grade himself, dedicated a week to the Ozobot. He learned how to program the robot using color codes and developed exercises with worksheets to teach students how to give the robot commands to achieve its goal. At the same time, he demonstrated his skills in the 3D program Blender and created a 3D graphic of the Ozobot for the MINT to be website.
The heart of the project: The female STEM mentor network
The female STEM mentor network forms the basis for the success of the “MINT to be” project. Silicon Saxony aims to recruit 25 female STEM mentors by the end of 2025. Currently, eight women from software and microelectronics companies, such as CRC, Trans4mation and GlobalFoundries, are already among the project’s STEM role models. Their life stories are inspiring, including the impressive journey from pastry chef to process engineer.
We are looking for more women from technical professions – especially from the member companies of Silicon Saxony. The tasks of the MINTorinnen primarily include conducting extracurricular workshops in which they provide insights into their companies and introduce pupils to the diversity of technical professions. Silicon Saxony supports them with pre-developed workshop modules on the topics of microelectronics, software and robotics. In addition, the high-tech network offers the STEM mentors coaching on gender-sensitive mentoring to ensure that all students are addressed equally.
From project idea to implementation
The first “MINT to be” workshop will take place on June 17 as part of the MANOS-Gymnasium project day. Two talented MINTorinnen will present their career profiles and provide insights into their professional careers – from their favorite subjects to student internships to the relevant school-leaving certificate and beyond. There will be a particular focus on the careers of a process engineer and a software programmer. The workshop is aimed at pupils in grades 7 to 9 and offers an exciting opportunity to experience the practical application of technology and discover the wide range of career opportunities in the high-tech world.
Would you like to take part in the project as a school or STEM mentor? Feel free to contact us!
Contact:
Ann-Christin Böttger
Promoting young talent & career guidance
+49 351 8973-3864
ann-christin.boettger@silicon-saxony.de
Further links
👉 Project page “MINT to be”
