Africa’s premier defence exhibition Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) has provided an ideal setting for aspiring young engineers to experience the fascination of robotics and space technology first hand.
The Airbus Foundation in partnership with the AAD Youth Development Programme is taking advantage of the three trade days at the show in Pretoria, to introduce around 80 school pupils aged between 10 and 16 to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at its Little Engineer workshops.
Airbus’ Arnaud Montalvo says their Africa programme started about a year ago and has been running in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The initial impetus was to get youngsters to join the industry and the idea behind the programme was to create interest and to give insight into what careers are possible in the aviation industry through practical workshops.
Montalvo outlined what a typical four-hour workshop entailed: “The workshop starts with a video where we explain all the activities of Airbus in the air space field. Then we explain they have to build a robot – and there are four kinds to support a mission which is to launch a satellite. This is all reproduced with very realistic small robots that are easy to assemble and yet are complex enough to force them to be creative, to put effort into thinking and imagining and then putting into practice.”
He says they also identify the children who have potential and try to see what can be done to further their interest with a potential career in mind.
Noxolo Heidi Malinga and Mampomane Montoeli, two former Airbus apprentices, are now among the programme’s trainers.
Malinga, Airbus’ first woman helicopter mechanic, says for her the most rewarding aspect was seeing the excitement on the kid’s faces. “When they see and take the little models and see the bigger picture it’s exciting. At the end of the programme it’s a totally difference outcome to how they were at the beginning.”
Montoeli, who was also mentored by Malinga, says for her, the highlights were the learners getting excited about the project and wanting to know more, asking questions and getting very interested.
Malinga has some sound advice for prospective engineers in the aviation field. “An event like this, there is so much to learn. Aviation is a forever changing; forever evolving field if you like being innovative this is the best route to take.”
So far, Airbus’ Little Engineer workshops have given over 4 000 learners in the Middle East and Africa, including 700 in South Africa, a chance to gain first-hand experience of technology in the field of aviation.
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