Henkel has marked its 150th anniversary by bringing its Forscherwelt STEM education programme to home-educated students at its UK headquarters in Hemel Hempstead.
The global adhesive technologies and consumer brands business hosted more than 50 students as part of a wider anniversary event celebrating its history of innovation.
Students took part in hands-on science activities including testing bond strength, creating glue sticks and investigating water hardness.
Forscherwelt, also known as Researchers’ World, is Henkel’s international STEM education programme, designed to give young people early exposure to science, technology, engineering and maths through practical experiments.
Since launching in the UK in 2025, the programme has reached more than 2,000 students across 36 workshops.
Henkel said the initiative was designed to help young people build confidence in STEM subjects while encouraging problem-solving, curiosity and creative thinking.
Henkel UK and Ireland president Sutinder Bhandal said: “Our 150th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate Henkel’s long history of innovation and expertise that have shaped our business for generations.
“From our origins in pioneering the first self-acting detergent, Henkel has built a 150-year legacy of developing products that deliver real value for customers.
“Forscherwelt is a practical way for us to help young people experience science and allows us to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators.”
Bhandal added that opening the programme to home-educated students reflected Henkel’s aim to make STEM learning more accessible.
“As an inclusive company, we want to ensure more young people have access to accessible and inspiring STEM learning opportunities,” she said.
Forscherwelt has been rolled out in the UK with the Engineering Development Trust.
EDT and Industrial Cadets chief executive Julie Feest OBE said: “Our partnership with Henkel has enabled us to bring Forscherwelt to young people across the UK, creating exciting, hands-on STEM experiences that inspire curiosity and confidence.
“Extending the programme to home-educated learners is another important step towards ensuring more young people can develop their skills to help them thrive in the future.
“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together and look forward to building on this success.”
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