PPG announced that it joined Denmark’s Science Day, which took place earlier this month, when businesses, organizations, educational institutions, libraries and museums opened their doors to school students. PPG also contributed a community engagement grant of $14,000 (100,000 Danish kroner), to Naturvidenskabernes Hus, a nonprofit group that supports STEM education in Denmark and is the organizer of Science Day.

It is the second year that PPG has participated in Science Day. For this year’s event, the company invited around 60 students to its manufacturing plant in Soborg, giving them a unique insight into activities ranging from production and tinting of paint to sustainability initiatives.

“There is a shared industry responsibility to contribute to greater diversity in the industry,” said Torben Beck, PPG general manager, Denmark. “There are still too many people opting out of technical education, and negative stereotypes about manufacturing positions persist. Science Day is an opportunity to inform the future workforce about the many exciting opportunities that STEM education provides.”

As part of its partnership with Naturvidenskabernes Hus, PPG will also participate in the Science Marathon in 2024, a teaching course for children aged 11 to 13 years.

“We would love to support projects that open children's eyes and make them curious about future possibilities – preferably within STEM subjects such as robotics and research,” Beck said.

“There is a lack of diversity in STEM education and companies, and this is especially true in gender distribution, where women are underrepresented,” said Lykke Lolck, director and expert in “girls and STEM” at Naturvidenskabernes Hus. “At Science Day, students meet employees and researchers and can get a concrete and practical insight into their subject. It makes a huge difference when so many organizers like PPG support creating more diversity by opening the doors and showing the exciting opportunities with a future in technology and science.”