Chemours and Technopolis Announce Partnership, Creating Three Years of STEM Opportunities for Local Youth
Chemours Belgium has launched a three-year partnership with Technopolis, the Flemish science and technology discovery center. The collaboration is officially sealed in the presence of local authorities and Chemours’ President & CEO Denise Dignam, who is visiting Belgium specifically for this occasion.
"Our collaboration with Technopolis provides a unique opportunity to inspire and engage more young people with STEM at a time when demand for these skills is high, but the number of students in STEM fields is low," said Denise Dignam, President & CEO of Chemours. "We want to introduce students, regardless of their background, to the possibilities of science and technology and encourage them to explore the world of STEM. Our partnership with Technopolis makes that a hands-on reality for local students."
Chemours will sponsor class visits to Technopolis, allowing students from Mechelen and the surrounding area to participate in exciting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities at no cost. Additionally, Chemours will contribute to the development of new interactive exhibits and experiments designed to spark young people's interest in science and technology.
The need for more STEM investments
The shortage of STEM professionals in Flanders is growing, as highlighted by the STEM-monitor 2024. The share of STEM education in secondary schools has fallen to 37%, while Flanders aims to reach 40% by the 2030-2031 school year. Furthermore, the proportion of girls in STEM remains far below the 20% target for 2030-2031, with just 6.4% in vocational education and 13.7% in technical education. Chemours aims to improve these figures by making STEM more accessible and is investing in this partnership with Technopolis to inspire young people and reduce barriers to STEM education.
Diversity and inclusion as key focus areas
Chemours is committed to making STEM education more accessible to young people from under-resourced and under-represented backgrounds. In fact, by 2030, Chemours has set a goal to invest $50 million in communities where it operates to improve lives by increasing access to STEM skills and other key programming. Partnering with organizations like Technopolis, alongside Chemours’ school partner and scholarship programming, will meaningful contribute to advancing a more equitable and diverse future STEM workforce.
Collaboration with local school
To celebrate the launch of the new partnership, Chemours has invited students from Technische Scholen Mechelen (a Chemours’ ChemFEST partner school) to be the first to participate in the Technopolis workshops under the partnership.
"The presence of students at this launch demonstrates the value of involving them in practical learning experiences at a young age," added Ferdy Onink, Plant Manager of Chemours Mechelen. "We want to show them that a career in STEM is not only exciting but also accessible to everyone."
