MINT Conference Saxony
The ZukLOS project reports on its extracurricular educational work in Upper Lusatia.
On October 6, 2022, STEM stakeholders from Saxony discussed the future of extracurricular STEM education. The event was hosted by the State Association of Saxon Youth Education Organizations (LJBW) and the German STEM Networking Center. At the Kraftwerk Mitte in Dresden, approximately 120 representatives from the fields of education, administration, politics, and business gathered to develop joint strategies for goal-oriented STEM education in the Free State of Saxony.
The Saxony STEM Conference – Networking with Perspectives aimed to highlight the needs and necessity for establishing a STEM coordination office in Saxony, to support mutual exchange, and to promote statewide networking among stakeholders. To kick off the event, Dr. Sven Günter, Executive Director of the Thuringia Foundation for Technology, Innovation, and Research (STIFT), explained the coordination of STEM education in Thuringia. Statewide STEM networks organized in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Free State of Thuringia, among others, demonstrate that such strategically positioned central offices can provide significant added value for every individual STEM stakeholder. The resource and funding requirements of this central unit, as well as the organizational challenges, were discussed. It is noteworthy that three ministries in Thuringia are jointly committed to and fund this foundation.
Dr. Antje Weyh from the Institute for Labor Market and Career Guidance (IAB) at the Saxony Regional Directorate then analyzed the labor market situation for STEM professionals in the Free State of Thuringia in her keynote presentation titled “STEM Professions in Saxony: The Labor and Training Market.”
In a panel discussion, Dr. Stephanie Kowitz-Harms, Director of the MINT Networking Center Germany – MINT Vernetzt, discussed the topic together with Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil, Vice President for Education and International Affairs at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Ms. Karin Meusinger, Specialist for Skilled Workers at Silicon Saxony e. V., Ms. Saskia Schnasse, Advisor for STEM Networking and Coordination at the Saxon State Ministry of Culture (SMK), and Ms. Birgit Walter, Executive Director of VDI-GaraGe Leipzig, on the potential and challenges of extracurricular STEM education in Saxony.
In her remarks, Professor Keil emphasized that STEM professionals are needed—especially in rural regions such as Upper Lusatia—to actively shape structural change. To ensure that the region’s young people can become the skilled workers of tomorrow, there is a need for new, innovative, and target-group-appropriate extracurricular educational programs that spark enthusiasm and interest in technology and STEM topics among children and youth. As part of the “Zukunftslernort Oberlausitz” (ZukLOS), the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is therefore developing learning spaces of the future for the extracurricular sector, as well as educational programs focused on regional development, to provide targeted support to children and young people in the (further) development of their individual STEM competencies.
For Germany as a knowledge-based society, STEM professionals are of central importance. Without expertise in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology, it is impossible to generate innovations that address global challenges. “Good-trained professionals are needed especially in rural areas, where smart solutions must be found to enable essential aspects of daily life, such as ‘education,’ ‘work,’ and ‘participation in transportation,’” Sophia Keil, Vice President for Education and International Affairs
”Things got practical in a Word Café. We worked very specifically on the topics of what a central STEM coordination office in Saxony should do, how it should be organized and which partners need to be involved. It became very clear that the stakeholders wanted cooperation at ministerial level to be made possible or significantly improved.
The primary responsibilities of a central Saxon STEM steering unit are seen as formulating strategic goals for STEM education and developing approaches to achieve them. The numerous stakeholders from various sectors must be efficiently networked, and broad-based media campaigns must be launched. Last but not least, a quality initiative is intended to help teachers, parents, and partners from the business community select suitable STEM tools from the wide range of options available.” Sabine Scholz
”The BMBF-funded project “Zukunftslernort Oberlausitz – Analysis and Development of Extracurricular STEM Education” (ZukLOS) is being carried out under the project leadership of Professor Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil, Vice President for Education and International Affairs at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the Technical University of Dresden. The project’s objectives are to assess the current state of extracurricular STEM education in the region, to derive recommendations for action aimed at further developing the educational landscape, and to develop and promote new educational programs. The long-term goal is to foster STEM-related problem-solving skills among children and young people.
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