Did you know ...

Just before graduation, many young women have no idea what they want to do for the rest of their lives. In general, they typically think of jobs that have been performed historically by women. For those who are good in the natural sciences, there is no reason not to pursue a career in technical fields.

Girls’ Day on Thursday, April 22, 2010, provides a golden opportunity to try out something new. On this day, technical companies, universities and research centers throughout Germany will open their doors to girls in the 5th grade or higher. []Carl Zeiss[] will also hold an open house — just like it does every year. This time, girls will have the opportunity to learn about electronics, polish a lens in precision optics or create jewelry from metal that they can take home with them. An exercise in pneumatics will also allow them to test a basic circuit with an and/or function. Pneumatics is part of the training for all precision optics, metal and electronics professions. It is used to implement simple workflows such as lowering and raising parts using compressed air.

However, []Carl Zeiss[] wants to attract women to technical professions year round, not just on Girls’ Day. The company promotes young women in its training programs. They currently make up almost []25 percent[] of all trainees. Because new personnel are becoming scarce and women are still underrepresented in technical professions, the intention is to increase this figure.

April 21, 2010