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Only when a system fails do we become aware of the engineering effort.

Donor: Bouygues Energies & Services, Switzerland

Stéphane Schneider, CEO

There are countless popular TV series devoted to working life in law firms, banks or agencies, but few that focus on attractive technical professions. 

Stéphane Schneider's answers to Engineers' Day.

This is the second time that your company has donated to Engineers' Day. Why are you involved in this event?
It is engineers who have brought our high-tech world with all its conveniences to life and are constantly developing it further. Engineers are also the ones who play a decisive role in shaping, shaping and supporting the solution of fundamental challenges such as the energy transition or the digital transformation, beyond the issues of comfort.

Which goals would you highlight as the most important priority in terms of your involvement in Engineers' Day or in everyday life?
I attach great importance to all four goals of Engineers' Day. However, my choice falls on the promotion of the next generation, especially the next generation of women. The second point also plays a role here: there needs to be better visibility to convince young people of the opportunities available to them as engineers. The relatively strong preponderance of male engineers is a problem in that a lot of female talent is not even being tapped in the first place, since a technical career unfortunately still seems unattractive to many young women. There is an urgent need to counteract this.

Why do you think female and male engineers and their achievements are not perceived enough in everyday life, and what can female and male engineers do about it?  
We live in an increasingly technological world that would not function without engineers. I attribute the fact that engineers nevertheless enjoy comparatively little prestige to the fact that their work is taken for granted these days. The functioning of technical systems is a hygiene factor. We only become aware of technology when a system fails, the power stops flowing, security is at stake or the Internet connection breaks down. Engineers think, design and enable the world of tomorrow.

If you had one wish to be able to influence the promotion of young talent even more, to whom would it go and what would that wish be?
That instead of a doll, parents would give their daughters a Lego game for their birthday! 
There are countless popular TV series dedicated to working life in law firms, banks or agencies, but only a few that focus on attractive technical professions. I am convinced that if the media and the entertainment industry were to focus more on the diversity of technical professions, young people would feel more inclined to pursue technical training. After all, the range of occupational fields in this area is enormous, and the day-to-day work is varied and diverse.

Do you have another wish in connection with Engineer's Day?
I would like to see a further improvement in the perception and appreciation of engineers. Engineer's Day is an excellent platform for this, because only through continuous communication can we change the perception of young people so that technical professions are considered attractive fields of activity.

For more information: Bouygues. 

 

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