Together with the Ludwig Schunk Foundation, the Makerspace has launched a new offer: schoolchildren can learn how to program and wire a small microcontroller in a workshop lasting about two hours. At the end, the youngsters even control a complex robot arm made with a 3D printer.
Awakening passion for technology
The free courses are available now through Makerspace Giessen. "At Schunk, we are proud to support education and the promotion of young talent," explains Kim Meerbothe, at Schunk responsible for university cooperations. "The IT industry is critical to the future of our company and our society. By making free school courses in IT possible, we want to encourage students to discover their interest in technology and develop their skills - and perhaps even start an apprenticeship or dual study program with us."
In order to also promote equal opportunities in the IT sector, the Makerspace Giessen already held a Girls' Day in April with the support of Schunk. Almost 20 female students were able to immerse themselves in the world of 3D printing and find out whether the topic was of interest to them. The course was a complete success and directly afterwards, several of the participants came to the open workshop time in the Makerspace to continue working on their 3D prints.
"The goal for us is quite clearly to take away the fear of technology and to arouse enthusiasm," says Nils Seipel from Makerspace Giessen, explaining the concept behind the hands-on workshops. Even in preliminary talks with Schunk, he says, it became clear that passion for technology is of great importance to both sides. In fact, the two founders of Makerspace Giessen are already looking forward to a factory tour at Schunk to learn more about the high technology made in Heuchelheim.
Technology project Makerspace Giessen
The Makerspace Giessen is a non-profit project for digital education and start-up support. All-around new technologies, such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence or laser cutting, can be tried out and used free of charge at Walltorstraße 57 in Giessen, attend introductory courses or take part in lectures, events and panel discussions. The project is supported by the Technology and Innovation Center Giessen, the Technical University of Central Hesse, the Justus Liebig University Giessen and flux - impulse, as well as by the city and district of Giessen and other sponsors and helpers.