The Airbus Little Engineer (ALE) robotics programme was launched in India by the Airbus Foundation on Tuesday. The programme aims to create interest and to encourage students between 10 and 16 years of age to understand technology so that they take up careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) stream.

A two-day workshop was conducted as part of the programme in Bengaluru in which 60 students from Christel House Learning Center participated. Guided by their teachers and the Airbus volunteers, the students were introduced to the process of assembling an aircraft.

Charles Champion, executive vice president, Engineering at Airbus, mingled with the students in the workshop and motivated them to develop their passion for technology and drive innovation. They were exposed to the complexities of managing within resources, planning logistics and finding the right skill to build an aircraft. The students were also given the task of assembling an aircraft model, making their own algorithm to manoeuvre it on a tarmac and make it take off.

Pierre de Bausset, president and managing director, Airbus India said: "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".  

The Airbus programme was launched in 2012 and has reached over 4000 students worldwide.