Groups of schoolchildren are welcome guests at LANXESS. Staff are well aware that a practical taste of science at work is the only real way of firing up enthusiasm. And one of the established objectives of LANXESS’s HR policy is to ensure the chemical industry is able to recruit sufficient young specialists. There are many opportunities for young people to see what LANXESS is like at first hand. Examples include a visit by students with disabilities to the U.S. site in Pittsburgh, hands-on tours for college students in Texas and school trips to the La Wantzenau site in France.

Bringing color to everyday life
One of many exciting visits was in June 2009 when the Inorganic Pigments business unit played host to around 30 high school students from Krefeld in the western part of Germany. Students were, of course, told about the work of the various departments, but the real fun started when things got more practical. To enable them to understand the importance of color pigments, the students dyed concrete slabs with pigments they had mixed themselves and experimented with emulsion paint. The day provided them with a colorful demonstration of how much fun chemistry can be. Mission accomplished!