Evonik launches "Grow beyond yourself" project in China to support female chemical engineering students in vocational colleges

• Career development project targeting female chemical engineering students in vocational colleges
• Seven vocational colleges to participate in this year’s program
• A college-enterprise cooperation model to promote vocational education in China

Evonik, one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals, has launched the "Grow beyond yourself" project in China, aiming to support career development among female students majoring in chemical engineering in vocational colleges.

The project underscores Evonik’s commitment to diversity, supporting youth development and STEM education in Asia Pacific, with an emphasis on female students. "Talent is the driving force of industrial and social development. With the ‘Grow beyond yourself’ project, we want to develop diverse and skilled talents, and create value for society," remarked Dr. Claus Rettig, president of Evonik Asia Pacific.

In collaboration with Yiyou Youth Center, a social organization for youth development, the project is designed to enhance career competence and soft skills of the students with learning courses, seminars, plant visits, as well as an innovation contest. The project will take place at seven vocational colleges this year, and will extend its reach to more schools through online courses.

“We are pleased to cooperate with Evonik to support and inspire young women in vocational colleges,” said Min Ren, founder of Yiyou Youth Center. “Offering a variety of learning resources, we will drive both vocational education and female empowerment.”

The project also seeks to set a college-enterprise cooperation model to promote vocational education in China. China has placed a great emphasis on highly skilled talents, giving full play to vocational schools with policy support. Encouraging college-enterprise cooperation is among one of the policies.

“This year marks the 90^th anniversary of Evonik's presence in China. We are honored to launch the ‘Grow beyond yourself’ project on this occasion,” Fuliang Xia, president of Evonik Greater China added. “We will share our expertise to support the students, hence, embracing our corporate social responsibility and facilitating college-enterprise cooperation in vocational education.”