Airbus Foundation launches The Little Engineers programme in India to inspire young minds

• The programme aims to reach out to over 150 students in India by the end of 2017
• The “A380 Assembly” workshop in Bengaluru introduced students to the world of aviation

The Airbus Foundation together with its partner ‘The Little Engineer’ has launched the Airbus Little Engineer (ALE) robotics programme in India.
Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal of ‘Quality Education’ by the United Nations, the initiative by Airbus Foundation aims to encourage students between 10 and 16 years to understand technology and develop interest for exciting careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

As a part of the programme, a two day workshop was conducted with 60 students from Christel House Learning Center at Bengaluru. Guided by trained Airbus volunteers and Christel House teachers, the students were introduced to the process of assembling an A380 aircraft. They were exposed to the complexities of managing within resources, planning logistics and finding the right skill to build an aircraft. The students were tasked with assembling the aircraft model and programming it with their own algorithm for manoeuvring it on the tarmac and subsequent take-off. Charles Champion, Executive Vice President, Engineering at Airbus, joined the students in the workshop and encouraged them to develop their passion for technology and drive innovation.

“As India endeavours to make a mark for itself in the global aerospace manufacturing, the Airbus Little Engineer programme is driven to inspire young Indian minds to explore the exciting world of high end innovation and technology,” said Pierre de Bausset, President and Managing Director, Airbus India.

“Airbus believes that developing talent is critical to the future growth of aviation. The Airbus Little Engineer programme is a direct reflection of Airbus’ efforts to contribute to the regional community and instil a passion for science and technology at an early age,” said Charles Champion.

Since its launch in 2012, the programme has successfully positioned itself as an effective vehicle for discovery-based learning. The goal of the programme is to support the countries’ efforts in creating a sustainable pipeline of talent for India. As of now, the programme has reached over 3,000 students worldwide.

About the Airbus Foundation
The Airbus Foundation, chaired by Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus, includes Airbus, Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space as founding and contributing members. It is the company’s vehicle for corporate philanthropy, using the group’s resources, aeronautics and space products, competencies, diverse workforce and culture for driving innovation to address societal issues. In particular, the Foundation supports the global humanitarian community and inspires and prepares young people for the challenges of tomorrow. Since its launch in December 2008, the Airbus Foundation has facilitated more than 60 relief or goodwill flights to numerous destinations around the globe. More information can be found at http://company.airbus.com/responsibility/Foundation.html. Follow us on Twitter: @AirbusFdn

About Christel House:
Christel House Learning Center is a place for disadvantaged children to grow, achieve and realise their dreams. The mission of the centre is to help orphaned, abandoned and underprivileged children break the cycle of poverty and to make them self-sufficient and contributing members of the society.