Dutch Technology Week (DTW) runs from 20 to 25 May, with the last day as the highlight. All over the country, hotspots around High-Tech discovery routes are being organised. One of them is in Helmond / De Peel, where the Foundation Hightech Helmond De Peel, which consists of about 50 engineering companies, will be showing its highlights at Franke Nederland. Much more on Dutch Technology Week here.
Arjen Vos, a board member of the foundation, says: “As a collective of about 50 companies, we promote technology throughout the year. This is also the case on 25 May, when we will be a hotspot in the context of the DTW. There are often misunderstandings, especially among parents. That technology is a ‘dirty industry’, that you have to be wearing a dust jacket and that you are covered in grease up to your elbows. In fact, our world looks very different and our mission is to show what technology really is. We will amaze parents with what there is to do and the children with what they can already discover for themselves.”
The event will be held at Franke Nederland in Helmond, a company that produces stainless steel countertops, among other things. The company will not only show its own production on May 25th but will also make room for the other engineering companies in the region. From 11.00 to 17.00 hrs there will be plenty to do for children between 5 and 15 years of age in the field of technology.
From soap making to escape room experience
Vos: “What we will show is not just a stand like a market stall, but really an event full of technology. For example, last year we had a printer with a printhead connected to a basketball net, so the children could play basketball with it. This year, we also have several technical escape rooms, in which secondary school students also participated. To show what happens to moulds and plastics, children can make soaps with the help of these moulds. We then explain how to use moulds to make all kinds of objects. Furthermore, we have someone who works with compressed air and shoots balls with an air cannon. The enormous strength of a hydraulic arm is demonstrated. Children can then press the arm with a machine.”
‘You can make a great living with technology’
Vos expects about 4,000 visitors. Each company shows its own piece of technology. “Nowadays, children are in contact with technology constantly, much more than in the past. Think of game computers, smartphones, iPads, and so on. Furthermore, here in Brainport, we are living in a technical region, so it is important to show that as a resident you are really part of it. Moreover, you can earn an enormous amount of money with technology here. I always say: ‘If you’re born in Urk, there’s a good chance that you’ll become a fisherman. Here, you are born in the technical heart of the Netherlands, so you should really consider building a career in technology’!”
“Dutch Technology Week is visible in the whole of the country nowadays, but here in Brainport we still are the technology heart of Europe and that’s what you want to promote as well. We want to enthuse children. To get and keep them to the region. The most important thing is that we want to show the correct picture of technology. Many parents and teachers think that technology is not sexy, so someone has to show a different view. At Hightech Helmond de Peel we like to take that role!”