Cooperation between ZESS and VDI Siegen: promoting and networking talent!

Cooperation between ZESS and VDI Siegen: promoting and networking talent!

On April 4, 2025, the Center for Sensor Systems at the University of Siegen (ZESS) and the VDI Siegener Bezirksverein e.V. signed a significant cooperation agreement. This contract is intended to intensify the targeted support of doctoral students in technical disciplines. A central goal of the agreement is to strengthen scientific communication and exchange through joint lecture events.

The VDI Siegen district association, which has around 1,200 members, will provide both voluntary support and financial resources for these cooperation measures. This includes, among other things, travel costs for conferences and the funding of specialist publications. These measures are intended to significantly improve the networking of VDI members with ZESS.

Cooperation agreement and promotion of young talent

The signing of the cooperation agreement comes against the backdrop of an alarming shortage of young talent in technical disciplines, a problem that numerous stakeholders, including companies and educational institutions, are trying to address. The VDI e.V. therefore also pursues the promotion of young people beyond its local structure in order to counteract this trend. This is done, for example, through the implementation of over 50 VDIni clubs in Germany as well as through programs such as VDI Future Pilots, which target middle and high school students.

In addition to the cooperation agreement, the VDI has been active in supporting talented students at the University of Siegen for 17 years. A Germany scholarship is awarded annually, and the best bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering courses are honored with four prizes of 1,000 euros each.

Regionally anchored and future-oriented

The VDI Siegen district association is well networked regionally and offers a wide range of support measures. These range from preschool events to competitions such as the Mathematics Olympiad and the IHK upper school prize. In addition, with the VDI-TecStatt, he provides a special kind of project for practical experiences in children and youth education in order to promote enthusiasm for technology and engineering at a young age.

The initiative to promote engineering training is also supported by the VDI study “Engineering training for digital transformation”. This study, which, among other things, examines the current state of engineering education and its challenges in the context of digital transformation, shows the need to adapt curricula and study programs to the rapidly changing needs of the labor market. The VDI has analyzed over 50 scientific texts and expert reports to identify the necessary framework conditions for sustainable training.

Together, these initiatives aim to close the gaps in the field of young technical talent and to sustainably improve engineering training. The close cooperation between ZESS and the VDI Siegen district association is an important step in actively addressing the structural challenges.

For further information about engineering training and support for doctoral students, those interested can visit University of Siegen, the VDI Siegen district association or the VDI study consult.