The goal of the Children's Day in Industry event (Kindertag der Industrie) is to encourage curiosity and enthusiasm for science and technology. Apprentices from PALFINGER’s Lengau site helped the school students gain some hands-on experience and provided an exciting insight into the world of technology. By participating in the event, PALFINGER is actively promoting the initiative to increase the interest of young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Once a year, just before the summer holidays, the House of Industry of the Federation of Austrian Industries in Vienna transforms into a world of experience for children and young people. In junior labs, idea workshops and presentations, the kids are shown exciting and future-focused jobs involving the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. PALFINGER was there on June 25 with its PALfuture lab, where four apprentices showed 24 school students aged between 13 and 15 how to build crane models and provided insights into the work of the international technology company.

BUILD, LEARN, UNDERSTAND

“During my apprenticeship, I can work in various departments, support the teams there and as a result get a great overview of many different jobs,” says Hannah Bergner, industrial management apprentice at PALFINGER. At the Children's Day in Industry event she worked with the school students on the “truck with crane” kit. The teenagers were especially interested in a truck crane model, because it highlights the interplay of mechanical engineering, electrification and digitalization in one product. “The apprenticeships at PALFINGER are diverse and exciting. We are pleased to be here as apprentices to show how much fun technology is and to arouse enthusiasm for training in a technology company,” says Hannah Bergner.
 

KNOWLEDGE FOR TOMORROW

For PALFINGER, the event is part of a whole series of initiatives aimed at inspiring young people and especially young women to take up technical careers. “PALFINGER is a technology company striving for excellence – and for that, we need diverse teams. The students of today are the employees of tomorrow. We cannot start early enough to inspire them about technology and to break down traditional role models,” emphasizes Maria Koller, CHRO at PALFINGER.
 

FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES AT THE HUB VIENNA

For the apprentices at the PALfuture Lab, there was even more to see in Vienna following the Children's Day in Industry. Together, they took the opportunity to visit PALFINGER's The HUB Vienna and find out first-hand about more future-focused technologies. The hub is an important center within the PALFINGER global innovation network that taps into the advantages created by the diverse range of national and international research institutions located in Austria’s capital city.