“Discover ZF” - STEM students get to know ZF

Around 200 students from universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland traveled to ZF’s headquarters at the Lake of Constance to get an insight on future career opportunities at ZF. The event was opened by Martin Frick, Head of ZF’s Employer Branding & Talent Attraction department, who welcomed the students at ZF. Before the students had the opportunity to explore the various possibilities ZF offered during the day, Dr. Martin Randler, head of ZF’s Sensor Technology & Perception Systems department within the system house for autonomous mobility systems, gave an insightful presentation on the current technology strategy of the automotive supplier. The challenging questions of the students after the presentation displayed their great interest in ZF’s technology portfolio as well as ZF answers to the current challenges within the automotive industry.

The kick-off presentation in the ZF Forum was only the beginning of a revealing day for the students. During the day, they were able to take part in various events. On its test drive, ZF offered the possibility to experience its innovative products in action while driving in various vehicles, from passenger cars to trucks with plug-in and electronic technology. Furthermore, students had the possibility to participate in tech talks, during which ZF experts talked about their daily challenges in the areas of e-mobility, integrated vehicle safety, autonomous driving and agile project management. In the company’s test center and innovation lab, interested students had the opportunity to gain an insight on how ZF is creating and testing its innovative technology.

In the exhibition area of the ZF Forum, the company’s headquarter, multiple partners of ZF offered information on their companies and demonstrated their products and services. Among others, the autonomous shuttle provider 2getthere, the lidar sensor developer Ibeo and the automotive engineering service provider ASAP, traveled to Friedrichshafen to present their company to the interested students. Furthermore, ZF offered an HR corner, in which employees from the company’s recruiting center provided information on possible entry forms, for example internships, theses and direct entries. Besides that, current and former participants of ZF’s Global Trainee Program attended the HR corner to share their experiences within the ZF Global Trainee Program with interested students. The trainee program offers graduates the possibility to experience ZF’s variety with four individual and one joint trainee project in different departments and locations. During the 15-month period, participants are able accelerate their learning curve and broaden their network within the company.

In the evening, the exciting and insightful day was highlighted by the ceremony of the STEM-Award, during which outstanding theses with a relevant topic for ZF were awarded. The fortunate winners got their prize from Mrs. Jaskula, member of ZF’s board of management for human resources and governance. After the award ceremony, the day was closed with an after-party, which gave the participants the possibility to share their experiences, extend their network and ask more challenging questions in a comfortable atmosphere while enjoying drinks, food and music. Thanks for this amazing day!

Visit zf.com careers to check out where to meet us or to find your career opportunities.