Gender, age, ethnic origin: Diversity management is aimed at utilizing social diversity at an enterprise as a chance. Gender equality remains crucial: It is the subject of a series of events organized by the Career Service of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). At the opening of this series, female representatives from science and industry will discuss about “women’s careers” on Wednesday, October 19, 18 hrs (building 50.41, Adenauerring 20 a, room 145/146).
At the podium discussion, women, who are successful at companies and scientific institutions, will report about their careers. They will talk about competencies that have made them advance, they will give tips for entering a profession and for the first time in the job, and they will estimate the development of career options for women. This event will be the start of the series “General equality in studies and profession”. “We want to inform students about how enterprises ‘work’ and which basic requirements are made by industry”, says Caroline Mattingley-Scott, Head of Alumnikath ● Career Service ● Fundraising ● Foundations (ACFS) of KIT. According to her, the professional world still is dominated by men. “With the new series, we would like to focus on the best possible start and career chances for young women together with our partner enterprises”.
ACSF organizes the event in cooperation with Daimler AG and the ZAK | Centre for Applied Cultural Science and Studium Generale of the Universität Karlsruhe. It mainly addresses female students, employees, and scientists of KIT.
The discussion will start with a presentation by Dr. Elke Berninger-Schäfer, Head of the Coaching Center of the Management Academy Baden-Württemberg. Then, the Director of the ZAK, Professor Caroline Robertson-von Trotha, Dr. Barbara Schmuker, Head of the KIT Business Club, Christine Buck from Daimler AG as well as Irina Taranu, student at the university and participant in the career-building program of the Femtec Network will discuss chances and difficulties of professional careers. The Femtec Network promotes young female managers in engineering and natural sciences. “In a globalized world, cultural differences and diversity are playing an increasingly important role”, says Caroline Robertson-von Trotha, who also is scientific director of Femtec at KIT. According to her, perception of impacts and chances has to be improved in Germany: “The creative potential resulting from heterogeneity, that is from various ethnic and social origins, different genders, and lifestyles, still is underestimated.”
The podium discussion will be followed by a reception of the participants and speakers for an exchange of experience.
Participation in the event requires registration by e-mail. The first 30 students registering for this event may personally meet the podium guests after the event. Moreover, Daimler AG, in cooperation with the Career Service, will invite some of the participants to an information visit to one of the locations of the company.
Further information can be found under www.careerservice.kit.edu on the internet.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the merger of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, member of the Helmholtz Association, and the Universität Karlsruhe. This merger will give rise to an institution of internationally excellent research and teaching in natural and engineering sciences. In total, the KIT has 8000 employees and an annual budget of 700 million Euros. The KIT focuses on the knowledge triangle of research – teaching – innovation.
The Karlsruhe institution is a leading European energy research center and plays a visible role in nanosciences worldwide. KIT sets new standards in teaching and promotion of young scientists and attracts top scientists from all over the world. Moreover, KIT is a leading cooperation partner of industry.