More knowledge, more skills, more future – for over ten years, this is what “Wissensfabrik – Unternehmen für Deutschland e.V.” has stood for. Bosch was one of the founders of this initiative, which was launched in 2005. With its two areas of action – education and entrepreneurship – the Wissensfabrik pursues the goal of sparking enthusiasm for technology and science among children and young people while also addressing students and up-and-coming entrepreneurs to promote entrepreneurship in Germany. Today, Bosch and some 120 other companies and foundations are working to support this idea. Through their commitment, the members act in a socially responsible manner to strengthen Germany as a business location in the long term. To do so, the Wissensfabrik works with academic and scientific partners from universities, research institutes, and education establishments, as well as with networks of entrepreneurs, to develop age-appropriate projects that are used at kindergartens and schools throughout Germany. They also connect start-ups to established companies and provide opportunities for in-depth dialogue.
Bosch: 300 educational partnerships with schools and kindergartens
Bosch’s involvement in the Wissensfabrik does not center on financial support or business interests, but rather on the personal commitment of the members and participants. Nationwide, around 100 Bosch associates work on behalf of the initiative each year as mentors or trainers, for example. Their ranks also include top executives who are committed to education and young entrepreneurs. In addition, more than 500 apprentices from the supplier of technology and services are active in various Wissensfabrik projects as part of their occupational training. All participants gain professional, methodological, and social skills. The Wissensfabrik combines theoretical and practical knowledge, especially in the educational projects, and links places of learning – kindergartens and schools – with the business world. To start a project, educational institutions look for a member of the Wissensfabrik in their region for a partnership. Bosch has already entered into 300 educational partnerships with kindergartens and schools across Germany.
Bosch apprentices teach technical and digital knowledge
Along with general skills such as reading, writing, and math, the various educational projects focus primarily on conveying scientific, technical, and business knowledge to children and young people. The teaching materials have been developed in cooperation with scientific experts and have been tested in line with educational guidelines and approved for use. KiTec – Kinder erleben Technik (children discover technology) is one of the successful projects that Bosch uses at roughly 225 schools and kindergartens. Under the guidance of Bosch apprentices, children work on their own technical projects, such as building treasure chests, insect hotels, or towers. Bosch apprentices and trainers also teach school students basic digital knowledge to equip them for the connected world. As part of the new IT2School project, they explore IT together and discuss topics such as communication, data, programming languages, or how hardware and software work.
Bosch managers advise start-up founders and students
As the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, students and start-up founders also benefit from what the initiative has to offer. In addition to education, the early support of innovative start-up ideas and entrepreneurship is the Wissensfabrik’s second objective to which Bosch is committed. With this in mind, many of the company’s executives pass on their expertise. The Wissensfabrik’s mentoring programs give young entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their innovative and technology-oriented ideas to experienced executives and benefit from their tips and suggestions. As part of the Student2Start-up project, for example, students can turn selected issues from their everyday work into the topic of a seminar at their universities. They are supported in the process by a Bosch manager. At the Weconomy start-up competition, young entrepreneurs have a whole weekend to get advice from Bosch Supervisory Board Chairman Franz Fehrenbach and others.
A sustainable approach to promoting young talent
Along with its social involvement in the Wissensfabrik, Bosch is also committed worldwide to promoting young talent as part of various other initiatives. The supplier of technology and services would particularly like to get girls familiar with technical subjects at an early age to encourage them to pursue technical careers. In addition, Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH supports many young entrepreneurs worldwide with their innovative product ideas and business models by providing venture capital.
