The right approaches against the shortage of skilled workers in the future

“Industrial societies must not accept the shortage of skilled workers of the future as fate” explains Enrico Rühle, member of the Management Board of Festo Didactic SE. “That's why we want to awake enthusiasm for technical professions among children and teenagers with our Bionics4Education initiative.” The initiative as part of STE(A)M lessons combines biology and technology in the Bionics4Education construction kits. These give pupils the opportunity to creatively solve technical problems using bionic methods.

The BionicSwift construction kit is a brand new product: a robotic bird inspired by the swallow which pupils can control with a radio remote control. In this way, children and teenagers learn about scientific and technical connections and experience the topics of bird flight and flying in STE(A)M lessons with the help of the learning kit.

Learning and teaching online

Digitisation and work in the home office have led to new demands on learning forms and teaching methods. “Festo Didactic has adapted to this and developed the Festo LX digital learning portal, the Festo Learning Experience“ explains Dr Ute Gebhard, Head of Digital Learning and Training. The learning portal provides didactic learning resources for various technical training professions in small nuggets that can be individually assembled into courses and entire learning paths. Varied formats such as videos, animations, simulations, text units or small quizzes ensure that boredom does not arise.

Existing courses can be modified as. New content in text, image, or video formats can be easily added and assigned to learners. This makes it possible to individualize learning. The trend towards micro learning is also considered by the small learning nuggets. Available online regardless of time and place, Festo LX fits in with the information behavior of today's generation of trainees, who spend a lot of time on smartphones or tablets.

Competence-oriented qualification

Festo Didactic has decades of experience with learning systems on which entire generations of trainees and university students have practiced mechatronic theory and practice. The new MPS 400 series combines automation technology with the requirements of digitalisation and uses real industrial components to optimally prepare learners for professional practice.

The topics of electrical engineering, energy efficiency and renewable energies are reflected in Didactic's learning solutions. Competency-based training programs for specific job roles and job profiles, such as electronics technician, are currently being developed. In addition, new generations of the simulation programs CIROS or FluidSIM attract attention. The simulation program CIROS has a range from 3D simulation in education and training to the realisation of the digital factory in industrial companies to real-time simulation in complex virtual worlds. On the other hand, is the world’s leading circuit diagram design and simulation program for pneumatics, hydraulics, and electronics. Training courses for further education round off the portfolio.

Regardless of the goals and priorities of those responsible for education and training, they will find the right solutions at Festo Didactic's online presence at the digital Hannover Messe from April 12 to 16, 2021. Click here to register for the digital Hannover Messe and for Festo Didactic's trade fair presentation:

https://festo-digital.de/hannover-messe-2021