Barometer of Young Talents in the STEM Subjects
Background and aims
In 2008/2009, the “Barometer of Young Talents in the Technological Sciences” (Nachwuchsbarometer Technikwissenschaften) began documenting research findings on the image of engineering and science professions and people’s individual reasons for choosing particular study courses and professions. The results were based on extensive surveys of school pupils, university students and engineers.
Since 2013, the project (which was renamed the “Barometer of Young Talents in the STEM subjects” in 2014) has been continued by acatech and the Körber Foundation as a long-term monitoring initiative. Since 2018, the project’s ongoing work has also benefited from the pedagogical perspective of its partners at the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN). The project’s overall focus is on the supply side of the STEM labour market. It pursues the following goals:
- to identify the individual attitudes, interests, perspectives and motivations of young people and young adults,
- to carry out in-depth investigations of priority themes and specific target groups, and
- to evaluate any discernible changes and identify the relevant trends.
The “Barometer of Young Talents in the STEM subjects” is published annually, with each edition focusing on a particular theme. Although its methodology is mainly based on secondary analysis, the project may also carry out its own surveys and questionnaires.
Scientific advisory board members (2013-2017)
Lars Funk
VDI Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V.
Prof. Dr. Manfred Euler
Leibniz-Institut für die Pädagogik der Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik (IPN)
Prof. Dr. Hannelore Faulstich-Wieland
Universität Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Elke Hartmann
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Prof. Dr. habil. Christoph Igel
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (DFKI) GmbH
Prof. Dr. Reinhold Nickolaus
Universität Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Kristina Reiss
Technische Universität München
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael M. Resch
Universität Stuttgart
Further information
Video statements of project manager Olaf Köller (German content)
Interview with Ortwin Renn (former project manager) on BRalpha (German content)