Meet our Umicore #STEMhelden
"Working together for a sustainable future" is not an empty saying at Umicore but a goal we work hard for every day. To achieve this goal, we need colleagues who perform a so- called STEMjob dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In addition to our participation in Da's Geniaal, where we stimulated young people between 10 and 14 years to try out our battery challenge, we engaged with VRT (the public broadcaster for radio and television in Flanders) and Technopolis (a Flemish technology education center). They jointly launched a platform where an elementary school pupil goes to leading companies to interview young employees with a STEM job.
The videos are part of the #STEMhelden (heroes)-campaign, which was launched at the end of last year to show young people how they can actively contribute to a better world when they graduate within STEM/when graduating from a STEM branch.
On May 11th, our video, filmed at our Olen site in Belgium, was launched. In the video, we briefly explain what Umicore does and how our germanium recycling process lworks (or “gives viewers an insight into the process”).
The videos are a valuabletool for parents and teachers to show young people the different opportunities a STEMeducation could offer them later in the workplace. All #STEMhelden-videos can be found on #STEMhelden - Technopolis, together with many useful links to STEM educations and professions.
A very broad network actively distributes the videos. The participating companies and partners make use of their online platforms and social media channels, but the STEM platform ensures an active distribution to schools and parent associations.
And there is more!
We are developing an intensive partnership with many secondary technical schools that involve much more than just internships. For example, at GITHO Nijlen new Biotechnological and Chemical Sciences courses will start as from next academic year, a STEMeducation that entireleyfits our vision and recruitment needs. Together with Thomas More, we gave substance to its STEMcourses.