Did you know ...

April 24, 2008, is Girls’ Day – a Germany-wide event in which girls in the 5th grade and higher have the opportunity to learn about jobs which women usually do not have. Despite good educations, women often disproportionately choose typically feminine occupations and subjects. As a result, they do not fully utilize their professional possibilities; companies, however, are registering an increasing decline in the number of qualified employees – particularly in technical jobs. Therefore, Carl Zeiss is dedicated to the employees of tomorrow and organizes interesting events. Touch, test and experiment – for girls only.

15 girls were invited to the Girls’ Day at the Schott-Zeiss educational center in Jena to look over the shoulders of optical engineers, mechatronic engineers and machine operators. The doors were also open in Oberkochen for around 50 girls in the 7th grade or higher. They accompanied employees to their workstations and had the opportunity to experience the different professions up close. The objective of the Girls’ Day for Carl Zeiss is to help young women get their foot in the door to jobs traditionally held by men. They are given a chance to discover the exciting and interesting world of technology. Currently 185 young people hold apprenticeships in technical fields at Carl Zeiss. The number of women is currently 22 percent. But that is not enough for Carl Zeiss: the company intends to increase this to one third by 2011/12.

More information is available at Girls' Day.

April, 2008