Through innovative teaching resources, partnerships with local educators, and support for underrepresented communities, Siemens Stiftung (International Foundation) is helping young learners build critical skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—empowering the next generation.
Holistic, Equitable, and Lifelong: Reshaping Future-Ready Education
“Girls are not behind in any field; everyone should get the opportunity to become what they desire. I want to become a scientist and enhance my country’s achievements in space technology”, says 16-year-old Divya from Mumbai. Brimming with enthusiasm, she shared her interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). As she demonstrated the science project she prepared with her classmates. We had the opportunity to interact with such aspirational students in Mumbai as a part of Siemens Stiftung’s STEM Education for Innovation: Experimento India.
It is a project in collaboration with Siemens Limited (India) and the Pratham Education Foundation. Implemented in over seven Indian states. Moreover, the project provides free digital learning resources to school students from low-income families in English, Hindi, Marathi, and other regional languages.
As an internationally operative foundation, Siemens Stiftung (https://www.linkedin.com/company/18197179/admin/page-posts/published/) works in Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Since 2024, in India, we have been fostering STEM education to equip students to excel in the technology-driven future. Equity and access are at the heart of our engagement, and we work with cross-sectoral partners and networks worldwide.
Early and Interdisciplinary
The comprehensive STEMplus approach connects classroom learning to 21st-century competencies. Stimulating students’ interest in thinking creatively, experimenting, and critically assessing the results. By breaking subject boundaries, students are empowered to address day-to-day environmental and technological challenges that surround them. To ensure long-term success, parents and educators must expose children at an early age and on equal footing by breaking gender stereotypes and promoting role models for them.
Though more girls are in school today, globally, they do not always have the same opportunities as boys to complete and benefit from an education of their choice. They are particularly under-represented, making up only 35% of STEM graduates (UNESCO). Studies show that educating girls about gender issues strengthens their confidence in their abilities. Thus, increasing their appreciation for STEM subjects. They feel inspired to engage with global challenges like climate change, digitization, and to use their potential to shape a sustainable future.
How do we do this? By introducing STEMplus early on. We aim to equip our next generation with competencies that are fit for the future! It’s not just about making them job-ready, but the focus is on preparing students to be responsible and active citizens. Working with cross-sector partners, we aim to ensure that educational opportunities are available for all learners, regardless of background and geographical location. Let us illustrate this by taking you on an international journey.
Diverse Yet Contextualized
Our first stop, Latin America: In response to the educational crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed the Experimento Blended educational program. Over 650 science teachers from 10 Latin American countries collaboratively developed a carefully adapted and dynamic set of digital educational materials, now available as Open Educational Resources.
Open and free, they can be used in remote areas. Rooted in students’ contextual realities and diversity, the program breaks traditional classroom barriers by promoting completely flexible and hybrid models. Hence, making learning resources available and impactful.
The highlight: Inclusive and gender-sensitive STEM education focused on socially relevant topics created in and for Latin America. Educators introduce young learners (8–12 years) to local women scientists and professionals, including Indigenous role models. Students feel represented by these stories and draw inspiration to pursue science.
“Contextualization is not a buzzword; it’s a pedagogical imperative. It means that a boy or girl anywhere in the world can find themselves in the material”, explains project lead Nina Ibaceta Guerra.
Creativity Unpacks Complexities
Another way to make learning more meaningful is by engaging students in concrete challenges: Fostering empathy and teamwork to guide them through the process of developing prototypes using the Design Thinking approach. In Munich’s Gymnasium Max-Joseph-Stift – a high school for girls, students from economics and chemistry classes collaborated on a cross-disciplinary Design Thinking challenge to develop a sustainable soap product. The business class analyzed the problem space, set up cost and profit functions, and addressed market needs, and the chemistry group explored the solution space, experimenting with ingredients.
“We wanted to produce our soap in an environmentally friendly way: Plastic-free packaging with paper only! The ingredients were sourced sustainably – the rose petals come straight from our school garden, and the cocoa butter is organic and Fairtrade certified. Everything is as local and eco-friendly as possible”, adds Sophia, one of the students part of the “sustainable soap” challenge.
Learning beyond traditional subject limitations: Sets students free to discover the environmental and technological challenges in their daily lives. By embracing a lifetime learning mindset, individuals need to remain on a continuous path of learning and adaptation to excel in a future defined by technological disruptions and evolving job markets.
Fueling the Green Transition on an Equal Footing
Youth need green skills to make a successful transition to the green economy. The International Labour Organisation estimates: A green transition will result in the creation of 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030. However, if current trends persist, by 2030, more than 60% of young people may lack the skills required to thrive in the green economy.
By building momentum, this could lead to a parallel just transition for emerging economies: Accelerated economic growth, gender equality, and increased resilience to climate change. For example, Kenya is transforming its energy sector and rapidly shifting to renewable energy with a target of attaining 100% sustainable energy by 2030. It requires a workforce to fuel this decarbonization.
On the shores of Lake Victoria in rural Kenya, we are working with young adults, specifically with women. Indeed, to support them in acquiring proficiency in green skills. The WeLearn project provides school graduates with hands-on technical training in crucial departments such as solar distillation, energy conversion, renewable sources (wind, hydro, solar), and energy storage methods.
Upon completion, participants are certified as solar technicians, some taking on entrepreneurial roles, while others feed directly into the workforce. High-performing graduates are awarded scholarships to pursue further training in technical and vocational education. Female participants, in particular, benefit from the opportunity, paving the way for a more inclusive workforce.
STEM for Everyone
Industry 4.0 is transforming industries and the society that we live in, driving globalization beyond borders. Thus, discovering vast potential to boost economic growth and social inclusion. However, many analysts predict that Industry 4.0 will cause a polarization of the labor force United Nations.
We need to provide lifelong learning pathways to everyone. Regardless of gender or socio-economic background, these opportunities are positively linked to labor market returns. When we invest in STEM education for all, we not only accelerate innovation but also strengthen our collective ability to address complex global challenges. By ensuring that students like Divya are not just participants but leaders in these fields, together we can lay the building blocks for a more sustainable and inclusive future.
About Siemens Stiftung
In an era of profound global changes, Siemens Stiftung, as a non-profit organization, actively promotes sustainable social development. Together with individuals and communities, it creates opportunities to shape social and ecological transformation actively. The international work focuses on three key areas of action: Essential Services, Digitality, and Climate.
Additionally, to stay updated with the latest developments in STEM research, visit ENTECH Online. Basically, this is our digital magazine for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Furthermore, at ENTECH Online, you’ll find a wealth of information.
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Dr. Nina Smidt has been the Managing Director (CEO) and the Spokesperson of the Board of Directors of Siemens Stiftung since April 1, 2020. She is responsible for the operational management and the strategic development of Siemens Stiftung as well as the management of the competence centers of Education, Social Entrepreneurship, and Culture in the focus regions of Africa, Europe, India, and Latin America. She also manages the coordination of the Siemens Stiftung Foundation Alliance. Since 2020, in her role as the Managing Director of Siemens Stiftung, she is also a shareholder of WeHub! Victoria Ltd., a social enterprise founded by Siemens Stiftung.
Dr. Smidt brings over 20 years of international experience in leadership positions across educational and scientific institutions, think tanks, and foundations. Before Siemens Stiftung, she headed the US foundation of the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius in New York from 2010 to 2020. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and cultural theory, with a dissertation on critical literary theory at the University of Hamburg. Dr. Smidt is involved in several German and international advisory boards, including foundations, committees, and think-tanks.
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Dr. Barbara Filtzinger is head of the competence center Education at Siemens Stiftung. She is responsible for the foundation’s educational commitment in Latin America, India, Africa, and Germany. With a focus on enabling modern science and technology education from pre-school to high school, the education team implements the interdisciplinary approach STEMplus that combines STEM expertise with 21st-century skills. Dr. Filtzinger has also published a comprehensive paper on STEMplus.
In 2008, she played a key role in the establishment and development of Siemens Stiftung. Before joining the foundation, she held various roles in Corporate Communications at Siemens AG from 1990 to 2009. As an educator and historian with a doctorate, Dr. Filtzinger is a member of the Board of Trustees at Stiftung Kinder forschen (Little Scientists’ Foundation). Furthermore, she is part of the Strategic Board of the Office for Climate Education in Paris and is a member of various committees on national STEM initiatives.