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Publication

Strategies, tools and practical examples to support cooperation between enterprises and schools to stimulate MINT interest.

Josef Burgard
In: Proceedings of the 6th IRDO International Conference Social Responsibility and Current Challenges 2011. IRDO International Conference Social Responsibility and Current Challenges, Youth in focus of world changes, March 10-11, Maribor, Slovenia, 2011.

Abstract

For a long time enterprises have been engaged and taking social responsibility for people of the region. Their objective is to reduce social gaps and to match actual concrete challenges. Nowadays one of these challenges is the insufficient qualification of the young generation because they are not prepared for the rapid changes within the working environment. This is fundamental for the future development of Germany. A lot of well qualified employees are missing in several lines of business. Especially in our region you expect a manpower shortage within the traditional industrial branches and within the upcoming new technologies, e. g. Mechanical Engineering, IT- and nanotechnology. In spite of numerous MINT (Mathematics, Information technology, Natural science, Technology) projects and activities you could not sufficiently stimulate young people's interest in these domains. In light of the challenges of the Demographic change and the globalization hence all relevant regional forces have to be concentrated. Supported within a two years' project of the “Bertelsmann Stiftung” they started networking, they elaborated ideas, they launched partnerships and they performed projects. After the project phase active network partners take responsibility: they are continuing networking based on honorary and they could successfully engage politicians to support and fund the network further on. This paper presents the regional strategy and a Web based tool that effectively supported making new partnerships. Based on documentation of existing ideas and projects new projects and partnerships will be supported within an internal moderated Intranet space.