Before going to Hannover, these students will attend Science Day on the University of Twente’s campus and listen to a lecture by Nobel laureate Ben Feringa.
On 23 and 24 April, more than 600 Dutch highschool students will go on an unforgettable and inspiring school trip. Nine Dutch universities, together with various universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, are planning a unique two-day excursion known as the ‘2018 Hannover Messe Challenge’. The participating students will be fourth-year general secondary education (HAVO) pupils and fifth-year pre-university education (VWO) pupils. The first day they will travel to the University of Twente’s campus, to take part in a Science Day. The programme includes a lecture by Nobel laureate Ben Feringa, of the University of Groningen, as well as lectures by top scientists, demonstrations, and workshops on science and technology. The evening includes various sporting/cultural highlights. The students will spend the night at the University of Twente’s campus, so they can leave for Hannover early the next day.
Hannover Messe
On Tuesday 24 April, dozens of coaches will leave for Hannover. During the trade fair, these students will visit a panel discussion on the theme of ‘Start-ups’. Those taking part include Prince Constantijn (Startup Delta), Ineke Dezentjé (Chair of the FME - the Dutch technology industry employers’ organisation), Anouschka Versleijen (4TU and RoboValley), Prof. Dave Blank (University of Twente and the High Tech Systems and Materials (HTSM) Top Sector), René Penning de Vries (IT Top Sector), Rolf van der Velde (Undagrid), Rob van den Heuvel (SendCloud) and moderator Jos van Erp, representing Messe Holland. More than 6,000 fascinating companies from 70 countries are taking part in the Hannover Messe. Taking a look around the Messe can be quite inspiring. For high school students, this is a great opportunity to explore their future options.
“Our two previous events were very successful. A number of ‘sciences support centres’ arranged for well over 300 pupils to visit the trade fair. This year we are scaling up our activities to include every ‘sciences support centre’ in the Netherlands”, says Pieter Boerman, director of the University of Twente’s Pre-University programme. “These visits to the Hannover Messe are very much appreciated by the students and their teachers. We can be genuinely proud of these cooperative efforts by the VO-HO (secondary education - higher education) networks. I hope that the trade fair will be an inspiration to many of these pupils, and that it will spark their interest in sciences/engineering/technology programmes at a university of applied sciences or at one of the universities”, Dr Boerman adds.
In the words of Ineke Dezentjé Hamming-Bluemink, president of employer’s organization FME and co-chair of the SBB: “Between now and 2030, we will desperately need another 120,000 professionals in our sector. The current shortage of engineers is an imminent threat to our economy. I am excited to be here at the Hannover Messe and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to 750 highschool students about technology and how they can contribute to societal challenges by pursuing a career in science. I hope they will get inspired and opt for a technical study programme.”
The Challenge
Effective preparation is the key to victory in the Hannover Messe Challenge. At the Hannover Messe, each student visits the five (or more) companies they find most interesting. They ask questions that they have prepared in advance, and record their visit on camera. On returning to their schools, the students write reports about their visit to the Hannover Messe. These reports take the form of a VLOG or a Prezi presentation about the three innovations/technologies that the pupils found most appealing. A prize will be awarded for the best VLOG.
Inspiring an interest in engineering and technology
The organizing team behind the 2018 Hannover Challenge want this ‘biggest school trip ever’ to inspire students to enrol in technical programmes and – after graduating – to get jobs in the engineering and technology sector. The percentage of Dutch school pupils opting for degree programmes in the sciences/engineering/technology is still not sufficient to meet the Netherland’s growing demand for highly educated experts. The same goes for sectors such as healthcare, construction and logistics. This school trip helps students explore their future options.
Who’s involved?
This year’s school trip to the Hannover Messe is being staged in cooperation with various VO-HO networks in the Netherlands. Nine universities are taking part, together with several universities of applied sciences from the country’s regions. For further details about the sponsors and partners involved, and about the institutions taking part, see 2018 HM Challenge.
