Dr. Michael Schanz, labor market expert in the German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE) is delighted about this trend and comments : “It’s becoming clear that young people are the key players in digitalization and electrification.” According to the German Federal Statistical Office, in the academic year 2018, 17,228 new students registered for a course in Electronic Engineering and IT – the highest number of freshmen ever recorded for the subject. Year-on-year, this is up by 3.4%. The proportion of women among these new students, at 2,917, also reached a record high.

Despite these good figures, the VDE remains concerned for the future: “The positive trend should not blind us to the fact that, due to the digital transformation, we’re going to need an additional 100,000 electronic and IT engineers in the next ten years,” says labor market expert Schanz.