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From STEM program to career entryFelix’s career at thyssenkrupp
A development program, valuable contacts and the right opportunity: Felix Ewering’s journey to thyssenkrupp began before he had even completed his degree. Today, he works as a process engineer at thyssenkrupp Bilstein and explains how MINTalents@tk played a decisive role in shaping the start of his career.
Connecting students and companies
With MINTalents@tk, thyssenkrupp and TU Dortmund University have created a development program that brings committed STEM students together with the company at an early stage. The aim is to provide guidance as they prepare to enter the world of work, offer insights into different areas of the company and encourage dialogue between students and employees.
Each year, 30 students are admitted to the program. They have the opportunity to experience thyssenkrupp at close hand, build valuable contacts and gain initial experience for their future careers.
A process engineer at thyssenkrupp Bilstein reflects on how programs like MINTalents@tk offer valuable insights into career paths and networking opportunities.
Exclusive insights and valuable contacts
The program includes exclusive plant tours, management training sessions, career talks and networking events with employees and recruiters. Participants get to know different locations and business areas and gain authentic insights into everyday working life at an international technology company.
For many, this leads to much more than interesting experiences. Through personal interaction and the talent pool, some participants make the direct transition into working student positions or entry-level roles at thyssenkrupp.
Felix also became aware of the program shortly before completing his mechanical engineering degree.
I learned about MINTalents@tk through a group email. Since I was in the final stretch of my studies, this was naturally very interesting to me, because thyssenkrupp offers a wide range of engineering positions, particularly in the Ruhr region.
MINTalents@tk: “A great complement to my bachelor’s degree”
Felix particularly remembers the program’s events. “The varied program—ranging from plant tours to business simulations—was a great addition to my bachelor’s degree. But the most valuable part was the conversations with the recruiters. You just don’t get that from a standard job description,” says the former mechanical engineering student.
“It’s much easier to make your application stand out from the crowd when you’ve had the chance to speak directly with recruiters.”
MINTalents@tk connected Felix Ewering with thyssenkrupp while he was still a student and paved the way for him to start his career at thyssenkrupp Bilstein.
Why is Felix so sure about this? Well, he has a 100 percent success rate with job applications: a single application led directly to a job offer. Here’s how it happened: “While participating in the MINTalents@tk program, I attended the international career fair at TU Dortmund University, where I met Rita Skinderyte-Tirella, a recruiter from thyssenkrupp Bilstein.” The HR specialist told Felix about the opportunities at the suspension technology specialists — and also about a current opening in the process engineering department.
Shortly thereafter, the two met again at a MINTalents@tk event at the thyssenkrupp site in Essen. “I seized the opportunity and asked her directly about the open position.” That’s when the application process really took off.
The entire process—from the invitation to the first online interview, through the in-person interview, to the signing of the contract — took less than a month.
The first step toward a career at thyssenkrupp
Starting a career does not begin with the first job application – sometimes it starts while you are still at university. That was also the case for Felix Ewering. Through MINTalents@tk (MINT is the german equivalent of the english term STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), a development program run jointly by thyssenkrupp and TU Dortmund University, he became familiar with the company at an early stage, built valuable contacts and ultimately began his career as a process engineer at thyssenkrupp Bilstein.
Today, Felix is responsible for the international procurement and optimization of production equipment. In the interview, he explains how MINTalents@tk supported him along the way and why he recommends starting a career at thyssenkrupp to young engineers.
From the MINTalents@tk program to a career: Today, Felix Ewering works as a process engineer at thyssenkrupp Bilstein.
A varied role in an international environment
Felix joined thyssenkrupp Bilstein in 2023. Since then, he and his team have been responsible for procuring and optimizing production equipment. It quickly became clear that the role was highly international. As a newly qualified process engineer in MPP (manufacturing process planning), Felix was able to gain practical experience right away. “After a short onboarding period of around two weeks, I had the opportunity to visit our site in Sibiu, Romania. Around four weeks after joining, I then spent a month in Mexico. So my role involved a great deal of international travel from the outset. This helped me become part of the team immediately and gain extensive hands-on experience.”
Today, Felix is pleased that the MINTalents@tk program led him to thyssenkrupp and is convinced that joining the technology company was exactly the right decision. His role is both challenging and varied. “We work closely with our equipment suppliers, our plants and the product and quality departments, and we define the framework for new equipment concepts,” Felix explains. “Once the machinery has been commissioned at the production site, we continue developing it to full production readiness before handing it over to the plant and series production. Some of this work takes place on site, which means the role involves a considerable amount of travel.”
But I especially enjoy conceptual work. I find it very exciting to think through a topic and, from an almost limitless range of possibilities, come up with a concept that we then pursue—one that ultimately results in a finished machine.
“Freedom and plenty of room for innovation”
Does that sound challenging? It certainly is. So it’s hardly surprising that the young engineer is happy to recommend his employer to other engineers and students. “For me, the key thing is that thyssenkrupp offers a dynamic environment that, while requiring a lot of dedication and flexibility, also provides freedom and plenty of room for innovation.”