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Tesla Giga Berlin held a Girls' Day to encourage girls to think about tech careers. Schoolgirls from the region, aged 13 to 18, visited the factory, where they got exclusive insight into the day-to-day work of an electric vehicle factory to consider working in the technology and automotive fields.

In order to break any stereotypes that the tech and automotive industries are not for women, Tesla is making a real effort. The Texas manufacturer invited schoolgirls from the region to look at the work of their employees and give an understanding that the auto industry is no longer a male field of work.

On Thursday, about 60 schoolgirls aged 13 to 18 visited Giga Berlin for Girls' Day, according to RBB24. Tesla took part in the 20th Future Day, which was held in Brandenburg. 405 businesses in the state have opened their doors to schoolchildren, and Tesla has become one of them. According to the Brandenburg Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, about 4,300 schoolchildren took the opportunity to look behind the scenes. However, Tesla made a special gesture and invited girls only.

Students from the private schools Docemus in Grünheide, Blumenberg (Barnim) and Neu-Zittau, as well as the Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasiums in Eisenhüttenstadt and the European School in Fürstenwald visited Giga Berlin. “It was like a small town,” said Ulrike Donat, who accompanied the students. Factory representatives greeted the visitors and showed a video showing the various stages of car production at Giga Berlin. In addition, the girls were able to observe the work of female employees in order to gain an understanding that the distribution of work at Tesla is not based on gender.

Young women engineers, mathematicians, and chemists from the Tesla team talked about working in their field and discussed what it means to work as a woman in the automotive industry. During the presentations, the schoolgirls listened with great interest and asked questions.

Each thematic station, in addition to verbal information, also had a practical part. In electronics, the goal was to solder LEDs on printed circuit boards and understand the structure of electrical circuits. In stamping, the girls were engaged in metal processing. They made small keychains for themselves. The girls also learned about the function of the battery, which was explained with the help of lemons. In the design section work was illustrated with a 3D printer. In the paint shop, the girls had a lot of fun, because, in addition to information about corrosion protection, waterproofing, and quality assessment, they were allowed to spray Tesla doors with spray cans.

“Most schoolgirls still have no idea what direction they want to go in,” Donat said. But that’s exactly what the event is all about: showing new perspectives and pushing the boundaries of what girls can achieve. “Before the girls build up an unnecessary shyness, they can watch it here. Then they just notice live that it makes no difference whether it's a man or a woman,” she continued.

“So far I've found the batteries very interesting,” says 13-year-old Emma Reich-Kreis. “I had the feeling that they [women-employees] put their heart and soul into their work.” She was happy about that. Her career aspirations have changed many times. That's why she was very interested in what the women had to say about their personal careers.

14-year-old Serafine Fischer would like to work in the arts, and she said that Tesla could be the place where she wants to gain experience. “There are also creative designer areas here. I could definitely imagine doing an internship here and taking a closer look at everything,” she said.

© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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