Volkswagen Announces Competition for Women Engineers

WOLFSBURG - July 24, 2008: Innovation needs a woman’s touch: This is the motto for Volkswagen’s second “woman-driving-award”. The competition is open to female graduates in mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, mechatronics and electronics and is being held under the auspices of Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for ‘Development.’

"As the world’s most innovative high-volume brand we are confronted daily with new challenges, so the creativity and know-how of the best women engineers is indispensable," Dr. Hackenberg commented. "Top technology needs top employees." The share of women employed in Technical Development at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg is ten percent and is still rising.

"This competition is specifically aimed at the most committed women graduates," Dr. Peter Tropschuh, President of AutoUni in Wolfsburg and a member of the competition jury, explained. The other members of the expert jury are Prof. Dr. Birgit Spanner-Ulmer of Chemnitz University of Technology, Prof. Dr. Kerstin Thurow of Rostock University and Prof. Dr. Sabine Lepper of the University of Applies Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg.

The first "woman-driving-award" was presented in 2004. According to Sabine Schönberg, Head of Volkswagen Personnel Marketing, the theses submitted then were of a very high standard with an average grade of 1.2. Eva Heming, one of the 2004 award winners, now works in Powertrain Development at Volkswagen, where she has followed the development of the air intake system which formed the subject of her graduate thesis awarded the top mark of 1.0. The system went into series production in 2007 and is now used in engines such as the Passat 3.6-liter V6.

For this year’s award, women engineers have until September 12 to submit a summary of their graduate thesis. The thesis must deal with a subject relevant to the automotive sector and must not be more than two years old. The prizes are 5,000 euros for first place, 3,000 for second and 2,000 for third place. 500 euros will be awarded to each of the engineers who are placed fourth to sixth. In addition, Volkswagen will be inviting all six finalists to participate in an exclusive driving safety training course. Further information is available at www.woman-driving-award.de