Future Day has been an important event on Ottobock’s calendar for many years. In 2020, the event had to be cancelled for the first time – due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, Ottobock set up a digital Future Day so pupils had the chance to receive vocational guidance, despite social distancing and hygiene rules.

High number of registrations

A total of 70 pupils from the region took the opportunity this morning to learn about business areas and job profiles at Ottobock at seven different digital stations. The children could decide ahead of time which station was the best match for their personal interests. The corresponding materials were sent to them at home so they could prepare for Future Day.

“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to provide the pupils with vocational guidance despite the difficult conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Many school internships have been cancelled, so an important means of providing vocational guidance is missing. This makes Future Day especially important this year,” says Jana Klingebiel (Recruiter Vocational Training), summarising the significance of this year’s event.

Opportunities to get involved and fun insights

Ottobock employees manned the individual stations and guided their groups through the respective programme online from Duderstadt. After a quick technology check and word of welcome, the agenda for the day included various job-related activities for getting involved. For example, the children could choose whether they wanted to use a robot model to get an insight into the interplay between sensors and actuator technology (drives that propel robots) or gain initial experience with programming the Calliope microcontroller. Meanwhile, other stations considered the question of how a 3D scanner really works or how a plaster cast is made. The functions of modern prostheses and the challenges involved in life with an amputation were also part of the varied agenda supported by Heinrich Popow, a prosthesis wearer and former top Paralympic athlete who lent his experiences to the programme.

“Even though we weren’t able to be with the children in person in Duderstadt this time, Future Day was a resounding success,” says Jana Klingebiel, summing up the day. “The pupils showed a great deal of interest and the working groups had fantastic results to present. It was just a lot of fun. And maybe a few of them will have found their dream job here with us. We would be delighted if that were the case.”