“A Steem for Steel” - An initiative that brings young people closer to the world of steel

Innovation, environmental sustainability, circular economy. These are the trump cards that the industrial groups involved in the steelmaking sector - which is going through a deep transformation phase - are ready to play.

The initiative called “A Steem for Steel” has been created precisely to highlight these characteristics and attract young people with diplomas and degrees to a sector that is a cornerstone of economy; it is a real school-work alliance to involve young people in opportunities offered by the careers related to the world of steel. 

“A Steem for Steel” is an educational initiative which aims at informing high-school students about job opportunities and, at the same time, raising awareness of the importance of scientific and technological studies.
The project is created by Fondazione Marcegaglia together with Federacciai, ABS – Acciaierie Bertoli Safau, Danieli Automation and Sideralba. 

“A Steem for Steel” is a tag that uses the acronym “steem” to indicate science, technology, engineering, economics and maths, and its pronunciation sounds like the word esteem.
For a sector which directly employs about 35,000 workers (more than 70,000 with its satellite activities), the primary objective of companies is encouraging young people and women to consider the opportunities offered by a work field still dominated by men. Companies aim to overcome stereotypes which distance girls from technical-scientific studies by implementing measures to bridge professional and gender gaps. 

The project was launched in January 2020 with Workshops and innovative educational meetings. A total of more than 1,000 students were involved from 8 high schools of 5 Italian cities - Mantua, Naples, Udine, Verona and Brescia - where the companies promoting the initiative are based. They were explained production processes of a steelmaking company, in particular the significant transformations to reach Industry 4.0 goals.