The BASF Days Construction Chemicals 2018

During a three-day event in Ludwigshafen from 10 to 12 December, held jointly with the Dispersions & Pigments and Performance Materials divisions, BASF’s Construction Chemicals division presented itself as an attractive future employer for students and graduates of construction-related degree courses.

Civil engineers are a highly sough-after professional group on the job market, and BASF, too, is constantly on the lookout for talented and committed graduates – but they are, as it were, in short supply. “The effects of the financial crisis in 2009, which also reverberated across the construction industry, can still be felt here”, explains Manfred Schnapp, from the Construction Chemicals division’s Human Resources department in Europe. “In the wake of the crisis, the number of young adults enrolling for studies in this area declined significantly – and now there is a ‘shortage’ of university-educated talent.” In view of the fact that the industry has since regained much of its momentum, this presents a real challenge in Europe particularly, Schnapp says. The intention is to meet this challenge head-on – by ensuring, through systematic activities, that the world’s leading chemical company gains additional visibility as a potential employer in the construction sector.

One such activity were the BASF Days Construction Chemicals 2018. On platforms such as Facebook and Linkedin, the Construction Chemicals division had invited students and graduates of construction-related subjects to apply for a ticket to the three-day event in Ludwigshafen held jointly with the Dispersions & Pigments and Performance Materials divisions. “The BASF Days Construction Chemicals are an ideal opportunity to present BASF as an attractive future employer to the best students and graduates from different universities in various countries”, Schnapp says. And he adds that, even though BASF is a regular presence at career-related events hosted by individual colleges or universities, the BASF Days Construction Chemicals are unique in that they pool a heterogeneous group of highly committed young talent with an active interest in BASF as a future employer and provide the perfect opportunity for making first contact with a possible future career. This time around, the offer met with even greater response than last year: “More than 120 applications were submitted, most of them very good and many even excellent”, Schnapp emphasizes.

BASF Days Construction Chemicals 2018

At the event itself, the items on the agenda included a series of general presentations on BASF and on the divisions hosting the event, on specific and potential career opportunities for, among others, civil engineers and materials scientists, on innovation and research, as well as on product categories, case studies, and specific applications – the latter also providing opportunities for hands-on experiences of the astonishing capabilities of concrete admixtures. The BASF Days Construction Chemicals 2018 also offered ample opportunity for open discussion and for dialog among the guests and with potential future colleagues and members of the management team. The event was rounded out by a visit to a large-scale construction site on the Ludwigshafen premises and a tour of the Ludwigshafen site. Those who were unable to attend had the opportunity to witness a presentation and demonstration via a live stream – now available as video – on Monday.

As in the previous year, feedback from participants was positive throughout: “I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to take part in such an interesting event”, said Theofilos-Marios Zavras, attending a Masters course at NTUA Athens. “I have learned a lot about BASF and met exceptional people. After completing my studies in February, the first thing I am going to do is to apply for a job within the BASF family.” Ali Pourzarabi, a civil-engineering graduate from Milan, had already made up his mind to apply for a job at BASF prior to the event: “As a graduate student interested in working for BASF, I found it very enlightening to hear the BASF people talk about their activities and experiences and to get an impression of what working at BASF would be like.” Stefanie Gruber, graduate student at TU Munich, appreciated both the general context as well as the specific information provided: “The event catered to a broad spectrum of interests, and I think that all participants across their various professional areas – civil engineers, chemists, and geologists – were taken care of very well. The tour of the Ludwigshafen site was also very interesting of course, and made us realize how big BASF actually is. A personal highlight was our visit to the construction site. As a chemist, you usually don’t get that close to a ‘live’ construction site. In all, I think this was a really good mixture of practice and theory in an enjoyable atmosphere.”

“Again, we have seen that those three days with our experts have an inspiring effect on the students and graduates”, Schnapp concludes. “One could even call it a kind of euphoria. And we are of course happy that we were able to communicate this – because this is exactly what they can expect when they come here: an inspiring, motivating work environment on an international level in a global team of likeminded people.”

About the Construction Chemicals division

BASF’s Construction Chemicals division offers advanced chemical solutions under the global umbrella brand Master Builders Solutions for the construction, maintenance, repair and renovation of structures. The brand is built on more than 100 years of experience in the construction industry. Our comprehensive portfolio encompasses concrete admixtures, cement additives, chemical solutions for underground construction, waterproofing systems, sealants, concrete repair & protection systems, performance grouts, performance flooring systems, tile-fixing systems, expansion joints & control systems and wood protection solutions. The Construction Chemicals division’s approximately 6,500 employees form a global community of building experts. To solve our customers’ specific construction challenges from conception through to completion of a project, we draw on our specialist know-how, regional expertise and the experience gained in countless constructions projects worldwide. We leverage global BASF technologies and our in-depth knowledge of local building needs to develop innovations that help make our customers more successful and drive sustainable construction. The division operates production sites and sales offices in more than 60 countries and achieved sales of about €2.4 billion in 2017.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.