Rolls-Royce extends sponsorship of Technology Lab for young people in Friedrichshafen

• Another 250,000 euros in funding over next five years for the technology lab “Wissenswerkstatt e.V.”
• Mission: to awaken young people's enthusiasm for technology

Rolls-Royce is to prolong its sponsorship of the Friedrichshafen Wissenswerkstatt e.V. (technology lab) and has committed to continuing funding for another five years. That means that the Wissenswerkstatt Friedrichshafen will benefit from a total of 250,000 euros up to 2028. It offers technology courses for children and teenagers from the age of five to eighteen at two locations in Friedrichshafen.

“We’ve been technological pioneers for over 110 years now and that continues to be our mission. So we’ll always be looking for employees who are passionate about technology and building innovations. That makes the Wissenswerkstatt Friedrichshafen, where children and young people work on exciting projects that give them the chance to experience technology at first hand, the ideal partner for us,” explained Dr Thelse Godewerth, Chief People Officer at Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems. “Especially worthy of note is the fact that its courses are very popular with girls. Because it's when you’re very young that you begin to set the course for your later choice of career. We want to see more women working in technical occupations, and we're delighted that we’re helping to build the foundations for that with the Wissenswerkstatt,” added Thelse Godewerth.

The courses given in the Wissenswerkstatt are not just designed to impart knowledge, but to highlight the enjoyable side of technology. In a relaxed atmosphere, the participants, working in groups of up to 14 or individually, engage in practical projects such as ‘Voltage from Veg – the Potato Battery’, or ‘The Internal Combustion Engine', or ‘Robotics – When Machines Do What I Say’.

“We greatly appreciate our close collaboration with Rolls-Royce Power Systems, both at board and staff level. Whether we're doing workshops at the day event on the future of technology, or paying a group visit, we know we can aways count on Rolls-Royce Power Systems. Very valuable for us is our exchange on energy and IT topics, which helps us to keep ahead of the game,” said Kathrin Hopkins, head of the Wissenswerkstatt Friedrichshafen Association.

One contribution Rolls-Royce Power Systems already made to the Wissenswerkstatt is an mtu Series 1600 engine on which participants learn about how an internal combustion engine is structured and works.  

The general members’ meeting of the Wissenswerkstatt voted for Martin Stocker, head of training at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, to take up a seat on the board of the organization, which he will be retaining voluntarily in the future.