Adelaide will host an internationally acclaimed robotics competition for the first time in December 2019, thanks to a funding from the South Australian Government.
According to a recent press release, the Vex Robotics Competition will host the brightest minds from schools around the nation.
The Competition
The Robotics Competition is designed to challenge, motivate and inspire students with hands-on learning applications based on real-world problems.
The event will be providing students with the opportunity to show off their smarts in this key component of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in a competitive setting.
At the same time, the competition will give them the opportunity to be exposed to future employment opportunities.
The State Government has provided AU$ 15,000 in funding to support the national event, which will take place from 6 to 8 December 2019 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Attendance of around 750 people is expected at the event, including 600 travelling interstate.
The competition brings STEM to life by tasking teams of students with designing and building a robot to compete against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge.
The national competition in Adelaide will see teams vying for 12 spots at the international tournament in Louisville, Kentucky in April 2020.
The international event is the largest robotics competition in the world and is attended by several big named companies and organisations such as NASA.
Benefits of hosting the competition
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall shared that the Vex Robotics Competition will bring great opportunities for South Australian students. He added that this event will be a coup for South Australia.
Having Adelaide host a national robotics competition of this kind is a thrilling experience for it exposes more students to global and future industry opportunities.
Education Minister John Gardner said the competition allows students to apply modern learning in a fun and competitive environment.
The State Government is working hard to guarantee that students develop into creative and collaborative critical thinkers.
These students should have STEM knowledge and skills that will equip them for their pathways through everyday life and future work.
Significance of STEM
More young people of South Australia should be exposed to opportunities that will test and expand their knowledge as the demand for STEM specialisations increase, particularly in space, shipbuilding, cyber, and advanced manufacturing industries.
Additionally, competitions like this help young people to recognise their potential. The State Government gives its full support for them to confidently consider a future career in STEM.
STEM learning will play a vital role in developing the future workforce. Hence, the commitment to offer more opportunities for the students to develop the skills that industry needs.
