“German industry is renowned for its innovative high-tech products. To ensure our companies retain their innovative and competitive edge in the future, the ‘Ideas Park 2008’ will aim to encourage young people to take up scientific, technical and engineering careers,” said State Premier Günther H. Oettinger and the Executive Board Chairman of ThyssenKrupp AG Dr.-Ing. Ekkehard D. Schulz at the presentation of the “Ideas Park 2008” in Stuttgart on Tuesday (June 19, 2007).

The “Ideas Park 2008” technology show will be staged by ThyssenKrupp AG in conjunction with the state of Baden-Württemberg at the Neue Messe Stuttgart exhibition center from May 17 to 25, 2008.

Arousing interest in technical careers to counter skill shortage

“We’re delighted that the ‘Ideas Park 2008’ is to be staged in Baden-Württemberg,“ said Premier Oettinger. Baden-Württemberg was characterized by a spirit of invention and dominated by high-tech sectors, he said.

But there were already signs of a shortage of technical and scientific specialists, with the situation set to worsen in the coming years. “Our ‘University 2012’ pro-gram is aimed at countering the skill shortage and will create 16,000 new university places in the coming years, focusing on engineering and scientific courses. The ‘Ideas Park 2008’ gives us the opportunity to arouse the interest of children and young people – the creative minds of tomorrow – in technical careers at an early stage,” emphasized Oettinger.

Enthusing young people for technology

“Attracting young people to technical careers takes more than just informing them about technologies and career opportunities. We have to go a step further and get them enthusiastic about technology. And that’s exactly what we aim to achieve with the Ideas Park. Nowhere else in Germany is such a broad spectrum of innovations presented so vividly and in such detail,” said Ekkehard D. Schulz at the presentation of the technology show.

A festival of technology and learning – innovations at first hand

Covering an exhibition and action area of some 40,000 m² and offering more than 150 interactive exhibits, the “Ideas Park 2008” will give visitors an informative and entertaining insight into the world of technology. New ideas and technical innovations will be displayed in three exhibition halls, the congress center and in the outdoor area of the Neue Messe Stuttgart exhibition center. Entry to the “Ideas Park 2008” will be free to allow as many families as possible to go. “What’s special about the ‘Ideas Park 2008’ is the opportunity it provides to get to know the people behind the technology. Around 400 engineers, researchers and students from the partner organizations involved will explain their ideas and show first-hand how innovations come about. What’s more, visitors can become designers themselves, building robots or mini racecars using simple materials. Entertaining stage shows, original presentations and a wide-ranging workshop program will make the ‘Ideas Park 2008’ a festival of technology and learning,” said Premier Oettinger and CEO Schulz.

Over 250,000 visitors expected

The Ideas Park was aimed not just at young people but at all age groups, stressed Schulz. ThyssenKrupp is investing roughly 10 million euros in the event and expects over 250,000 visitors. More than 70 partner organizations from all over Germany will take part, including numerous universities, research institutes, schools and organizations from Baden-Württemberg.

Discovering Future Technology initiative

The initiative “Discovering Future Technology” was launched by ThyssenKrupp in 2004. One highlight of the initiative is the Ideas Park. Over 260,000 visitors came to previous Ideas Parks in Gelsenkirchen (2004) and Hanover (2006). Against a background of a growing talent shortage in technical occupations it aims to promote dialog on the subject of technology across all social and age groups and encourage young people to train for a technical occupation or study an engineering subject. The initiative does not pursue any commercial interests. It is an open platform which offers its partners from the academic, business and media worlds the opportunity to combine their efforts for education and technology in joint projects.

Further information is available on the internet at https://www.zukunft-technik-entdecken.de. Photos of the press conference can be obtained as of June 19 from

https://www.zukunft-technik-entdecken.de/mediencenter/

https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/aktuelle-bilder