Was it your first time supervising children, and what was your experience of the day like?
Michael (IT specialist with a focus on data and process analysis): Actually, it wasn’t my first time working with children in this age group. Before my apprenticeship, I studied teaching and spent a lot of time with students during various internships. So, I could draw on familiar experiences in some respects – whether dealing with the group or explaining complex material. What was new for me was the setting: a technical topic, a concept that we trainees had developed ourselves, and children who came to our company voluntarily and with curiosity. It was this combination that made the day fresh and exciting. I had an incredible amount of fun and also gained some practical knowledge along the way – especially regarding the didactic preparation of Arduino content.
What was particularly important when planning Future Day?
Juan (IT specialist with a focus on application development): When planning Future Day, it was particularly important to us to provide children with a clear and fixed sequence of tasks. This allowed us to ensure consistent supervision and avoid confusion or frustration, especially for children who might have overestimated their technical skills.
How did Future Day go from your perspective?
Juan: The day went as planned and without major problems. From the getting-to-know-you round in the morning to the joint windup, we were able to stick to our schedule throughout. All participants managed well with the instructions provided, and as supervisors, we were able to regularly and equally support the children with questions or difficulties.
What surprised or inspired you about the participating children?
Michael: What really impressed me was the energy and curiosity with which the children approached the matter. Many of them tackled the Arduinos without hesitation, experimented, made mistakes, continued tinkering – and that’s actually the core of technology. I was particularly surprised by the wealth of ideas: as soon as they understood the basics, suggestions came up that I hadn’t thought of myself.
Some wanted to expand their circuits, others developed creative applications or combined functions. This mixture of courage, playful spirit, and technical interest was contagious and made the day very lively for all of us.
Why was the Arduino project a good entry point into IT topics in your opinion?
Juan: Working with Arduinos was particularly well-suited to giving children practical insight into IT. By working directly with hardware such as LEDs, sensors, and breadboards (plug-in boards), they could not only see the technical relations but also experience them themselves. It is often easier for children to grasp processes when they have the components in front of them and can directly observe the results of their work. This makes projects more tangible and motivating than pure computer simulations.
What do you personally take away from Future Day?
Michael: I took away two main things: first, how important and effective it is to introduce young people to technology early on and in a practical way. Second, how much a trainee team can achieve together when they take responsibility for planning and implementation themselves. The day strengthened our team spirit, gave me new insights into teaching work, and showed that we trainees can also make a visible contribution to inspiring the next generation for our profession.
Juan: From Future Day, we took away the insight that our structured approach, with a uniform roadmap and clear instructions, was very well received by the children. The fixed structure gave them a sense of orientation and helped them work on tasks successfully and enthusiastically.
Why is Future Day a win-win situation for you and for the children?
Kian (Management Assistant): Future Day is important not only for children to gain their first real insight into the working world and initial experience, but also for us as a company: we can inspire young people about IT and present our company. In doing so, children can see how diverse IT work is and that many different tasks, skills, and people are involved in technical solutions. They also get an insight into our daily work routine, our tasks, and our company values. This allows us to show them that IT is not just about computers, but about teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and responsibility. At the same time, it’s a good opportunity for us trainees to take on early responsibility. In doing so, we learn to organize tasks independently, explain content understandably, and respond to children. This strengthens not only our communication and social skills but also develops more confidence in public and when dealing with other people.
What conclusions do you draw from the day?
Kian: Future Day was a complete success for us. The children clearly had fun programming and trying new things. Each child could work at their own pace and solve small programming challenges, leading to many beautiful moments of success. The children were curious and asked a lot of questions. All of this showed us that we succeeded in giving the children an exciting insight into the working life of an IT company.
We are already looking forward to Future Day on April 22, 2027.
