Škoda EDU.Lab: a travelling lab to stimulate interest in technology
An innovative format, with the aim of intriguing and stimulating young people aged ten to sixteen, orienting them towards technological studies. Škoda EDU.Lab stops at schools, town squares, events and fairs.
Passion for technology often raises in childhood, when children's curiosity is open to any discovery. With this in mind, in 2021 Škoda created the EDU.Lab mobile educational laboratory - precisely to stimulate and intrigue the youngest children, who are involved through collaboration with middle and high schools. Visits to the EDU.Lab have a high level of interaction; one of the most common questions asked to young people to break the ice is to guess how many cars Škoda produces each year. Usually the youngsters are very engaged and the answers come close to reality. The workshop is primarily designed for pupils aged ten to sixteen, but is nevertheless open to all.
Not just schools
The laboratory is located inside a semi-trailer moving between the Czech Republic and Slovakia; visits must be booked in advance and take place in five daily time slots: four are dedicated exclusively to schools, one in the afternoon is open to everyone. The aim of the initiative is to reach as many schoolchildren as possible and stimulate interest in technology. "It is important for us to convince pupils to choose technical institutes. Our aim is not to promote any particular university, but only to generate general interest in technical education" explains lecturer Tadeáš Salaba, who leads the pupils in the mobile laboratory.
Technology at your fingertips
During visits, young people have the opportunity to interact with different types of technology on various topics. They are generally good at estimating the range of electric cars; secondary school pupils effortlessly calculate how long it would take to charge an electric car by pedalling on an exercise bike in the lab. Many kids are enthusiastic about 3D printing, others prefer collaborative robots, but the most attractive part is augmented reality, which gives them the chance to try painting body parts in virtual reality.
What the EDU.Lab looks like
But what does the EDU.Lab look like? The first room includes a short introduction about Škoda and then an in-depth look at artificial intelligence and cyber security. The main room is divided into four sections that focus on planning and creativity, teamwork, production and prototyping. There are demonstrations on modelling technologies and the use of artificial intelligence as an assistant in creative processes; visitors can paint the bodywork using virtual reality and experience the workings of collaborative robots, use augmented reality or thermography, but also learn about 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies. Outside, there are two exercise bikes that demonstrate how much energy the human body can generate, and interactive screens with games and educational programmes about the automotive industry. Everyone finds it a fun experience, much like a video game. And this provides several insights into the paths that technical education in general should take.
A fun experience
The EDU.Lab stops at schools, town squares, events and fairs - all contexts that welcome large numbers of young people. "The best way to engage young people is to let them touch and try something. It's an experience that lasts longer" says Vítezslav Penicka, a physics teacher at a grammar school in Liberec. His class consists of twenty-five pupils and four of them would like to attend a technical university. "That's not bad for a grammar school" explains the teacher. "I don't think this workshop will immediately convince anyone to study engineering, but it can still have a long-term effect and influence the children's decisions on what kind of path to take in the future".
Working at Škoda
Of course, it is also important that the laboratory informs the students about the opportunities offered by Škoda itself. In this regard, in the EDU.Lab one does not only interact with the technologies of the future, but also with those that Škoda already uses today. "For many pupils, it is important to have the prospect of future employment, also with regard to the company in which they might work. It tends to be the ambition of the younger generation to work abroad at least for a while, and Škoda can offer this opportunity thanks to the fact that it is member of the Volkswagen Group" Penicka concludes.
Source: ŠKODA
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