Female engineers - vdma.org

In May 2025, the VDMA is launching a new funding project with the aim of supporting female engineers in their professional development and sensitizing key stakeholders in companies to the gender dimension of corporate culture.

Verena Grifone Fuchs, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, works as a technical project manager at Thomas Magnete. This role requires her to have a keen eye for detail, excellent communication skills and technical expertise.

Mechanical engineering is full of opportunities - but many young women are still hesitant. We want to change that with exclusive insights as part of a series of excursions for technology students.

The number of international students in Germany is growing steadily. This is good news for mechanical engineering.

Katharina, an enthusiastic mechatronics engineer, is a planning engineer at Festool. She designs, procures and commissions production systems for high-quality electric motors. A great deal of technology and practical work make her everday work varied

Mechanical and plant engineering offers female engineers a wide range of career opportunities. The FEMWORX congress at the Hannover Messe shows how more women can be attracted to engineering professions.

In our theme publications, you will find facts, figures and data related to vocational training, engineering courses, skilled workers, mechanical engineers and women in machinery and equipment manufacturing.

Demographic change, a shortage of skilled workers, unfilled training positions - these are often the predominant issues in Germany when it comes to recruitment. But what is it like in other countries? We asked around locally.

Elena Bürk, mechanical engineer at Optima, is responsible for the design of dosing systems for pharmaceutical filling lines. She not only works with a wide range of technical requirements, but also with customers from all over the world.

The toolbox is a practice-oriented collection of good practice examples of proven methods and innovative approaches for university teaching in the engineering sciences. Now with new examples and a fresh look!

Electrical engineer Carla Albrecht optimizes modern heating and cooling systems using computer simulations. The mother of three has found an exciting job at Danfoss that she enjoys and is compatible with her family.

In the 2023 academic year, around 2,400 people started a dual study program in mechanical engineering/process engineering. This is an increase of 13% compared to the previous year and significantly more than in most other fields of study.

The VDMA provides a wide range of services and advice for member companies, but also for universities and media agencies in the field of science policy and engineering studies. An overview.

Demographic change, a shortage of skilled workers, unfilled training positions - these are often prevalent issues in Germany when it comes to recruiting employees. But what is it like in other countries? We asked around locally.

Carina Witzel has been working as a sales engineer at SEW-EURODRIVE in Hamburg since the beginning of 2022. She finds her work exciting because she can combine technology and interpersonal communication.

Jennifer Korte has been associated with DMG Mori since her studies. She now works as a development engineer for machine tools. Her job is to make the turning-milling machines more efficient and powerful.

Even if the shortage of skilled workers has recently eased somewhat, securing skilled workers remains a key challenge. Find out about the current situation in the various occupational fields here.

STEM professions are still predominantly male-dominated. In this virtual workshop, companies discussed specific measures to attract more women to engineering positions.

Varied tasks that bring together different specialist areas, perspectives and people and dissolve boundaries - this is how Greta describes her motivation and her path through Bosch.

Cindy Cierpka is studying electrical engineering and, as a working student at Nordex, is part of a team that develops and tests test benches for wind turbines. The subject area also provides plenty of material for her bachelor's thesis, which she will be starting shortly.

Making a concrete contribution to the expansion of renewable energies gives Eva Buchta the feeling of doing something meaningful. In the research and development department at Siemens AG, she works with others on the energy system of tomorrow.

Young women and aspiring female engineers lack visible role models to inspire them to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. Our new video series aims to change that! The focus here is on young female engineers in the midst of their day-to-day work.

The mix of study and in-company training is popular. The dual study program is particularly popular in mechanical engineering and is proving to be a successful model, a survey of students shows.

Womengineers is an online check that provides companies with tailored recommendations for attracting more women to technical professions and retaining them in the long term. It is based on the IMPULS study "Women engineers in mechanical and plant engineering".

Technical professions are still strongly male-dominated. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, many companies are asking themselves how more women can be recruited and retained for technical professions.

Change is needed in various areas of education and working life to attract more women to technical professions. The latest study by the VDMA's Impuls Foundation investigates exactly what is needed. For the first time, the study focuses on the link between studies, career entry and the first years of employment for female engineers.

Too few women choose this career path as an engineer because technical job descriptions are often unclear. Prevailing role models and clichés need to be cleared up.

They are considered to be particularly demanding and at the same time they can choose their jobs: Companies supposedly have to roll out the red carpet for the young professionals of the so-called Generation-Z. But as is so often the case, cliché and reality differ considerably. Recruiting young talent has not become easier for industrial companies in the digital age. But with a little courage and creativity, Generation-Z can also be reached well.