Local press
A cooperation bears fruit: GEA and the kindergarten project
04 Jul 2022
Established German “Stöbertage” concept in Oelde turns young guests into apprentices
Merle (bottom left) and Tessa (center) proudly show off their cube in the shape of a separator bowl, which they made with the help of the two trainees Julian Tippkemper (dual student mechatronics) and Franziska Schulte (dual student mechanical engineering) as part of the Stöbertage at GEA.
The German "Stöbertage" project, offered by various companies in Oelde like GEA, has been very popular with kindergartens for thirteen years now. It was successfully carried out again this year after a longer break due to Covid-19. The Stöbertage are intended to awaken children's interest in the natural sciences at an early stage and to get them excited about technology in everyday life. At the time, GEA was one of the first pilot partners at the Oelde site, and the results of the concept have been consistently positive. With regard to the company's own promotion of young talent, the successful Stöbertage model is bearing its first tangible fruit: Manuel Achmedov and Bastian Bieler took part in the project themselves when they were five years old, and ten years later they decided to start their apprenticeship at GEA.
The special cube in the form of a separator bowl is ready and can now be diligently tried out. For this, the children of the Oelder Marienkindergarten had to do quite a bit together with the trainees of GEA: Making the round base on the lathe, engraving numbers and figures, and even blackening a small ball for the ball bearing with the torch. There is still a little time left before the break. "Shall we go to the milling machine again?" apprentice Liam Lutz (in photo, left) asks his little guest Arda. He answers in the affirmative with shining eyes.
From daycare guest to apprentice: people from Oelde start career at GEA ten years after visit
Many of these and similar reactions from the participating children could be observed during the Stöbertage over the years. Bastian Bieler (on the right in the photo) and his colleague Manuel Achmedow (on the left) can understand this enthusiasm very well - after all, it was not without reason that they chose their apprenticeship as industrial mechanics and mechatronics engineers at GEA. Ten years ago, both of them were guests at GEA as kindergarten children themselves - and today they are allowed to guide interested youngsters through the training center as part of the Stöbertage project. A coincidence?
Interest aroused early makes you want more
"Maybe it's coincidence," says Ralph Hackelbörger, training manager at GEA. "But we are sure that everything the children experience on this day will make them think. This early kind of scientific and technical education then ultimately whets their appetite for more - and possibly years later actually leads to an application to the participating companies, as is the case now with us," explains Ralph Hackelbörger. The project also has another positive effect: "We don't just see enthusiastic children here who are proud that they have made something practical with their own hands. Our trainees are also highly committed to the project," explains Ralph Hackelbörger. After all, they help shape the whole concept, prepare the day and the premises, and take responsibility for their little charges. "This sharpens their minds and also boosts their own self-confidence. For us, the whole project is definitely a successful model that we will continue in the coming years."
Project Stöbertage - to the background
The Stöbertage in Oelde, Germany, are an integral part of the close cooperation between Oelde companies and all local daycare centers. For a limited number of days each year, four- to six-year-old children are given playful access to the areas of responsibility of the participating companies and institutions. The trainees take the interested youngsters by the hand and guide them safely through their working environment. The role that science and technology play in the everyday working lives of adults is illustrated with vivid examples. The Stöbertage project was launched in 2009 jointly by the town of Oelde, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), the Initiativkreis Wirtschaft Oelde and the Future through Innovation initiative in NRW in cooperation with all daycare centers in Oelde.
Turning, drilling and milling are part of the everyday work of the apprentices at GEA in Oelde. On the Stöbertage, the youngest offspring are also allowed to try their hand at the large machines, closely accompanied by the trainees. (Left picture: apprentice Richard Edich, industrial mechanic and Jonas Werdelhof, dual student mechanical engineering) (Right photo: Trainee Vladimir Diwiwi, cutting machine operator)
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About GEA
GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services.
