Airbus Little Engineer robotics programme to launch in Africa

Together with its partner The Little Engineer, the Airbus Foundation is rolling out the Airbus Little Engineer (ALE) robotics programme in Africa.

The initiative aims at training thousands of students between 10 and 16 years old in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The goal is to encourage students to understand and embrace technology and ignite a passion that could grow into a STEM career.

Airbus says the programme aims to reach 3,000 participants in the first year and will grow to cover several countries across the continent to support Africa's efforts in creating a sustainable pipeline of talent.

In the spirit of 'think global, act local', the Airbus Foundation is working with local organisations dedicated to promoting science education in Africa. The first partners, Travelling Telescope in Kenya and STEM METS Resources in Nigeria, will be rolling out a series of ALE workshops in their home countries.

“Africa has developed an ‘innovation’ culture that is growing fast with many social entrepreneurs and local non-profit organizations, and we want to support and work with them,” commented Andrea Debbane, Executive Director of the Airbus Foundation. “It is important that we all join together in our efforts to facilitate access to STEM skills. These skills play a key role because Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics-related jobs are at the core of solving the complex problems of today’s world and its future.”

Since its launch in 2012, the Airbus Little Engineer programme has already reached over 3,000 students.