Transforming Mysuru’s rural students into skilled Technopreneurs

Mysuru/Mysore: Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s leading Engineering, Technology and Construction conglomerate, has set up high-end computer labs and introduced experiential training programmes in seven Government Schools in Mysuru, to transform budding students into skilled Technopreneurs. 

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts to provide thrust to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, L&T has introduced a programme titled Zero2Maker (Z2M), in partnership with Encube Labs and Asia School of Business, Kaula Lumpur. 

Close to 2,000 students are getting empowered under this training programme and 12 teams among them recently demonstrated their skills of robot-making. The selected students from classes 7 to 9 are exposed to sessions on creativity, science, CAD design, electronics, fabrication, coding and latest technologies like 3D printing and robotics. 

“This programme is designed to transform the uninitiated students and equip them to be a ‘Maker.’ Subsequently, the programme mentor transforms a student into an ‘Innovator’ who can meet the needs of a potential customer and develop solutions. Thus, the ‘Technopreneur’ who can commercialise and monetise the solution, is born. This programme initiates the student’s journey on this path,” said a spokesperson at Larsen & Toubro.

 The first year of the Z2M programme culminates in a design competition that recognises top-performing participants who display an exemplary commitment to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in their schools. The design challenge allows local schools to engage in healthy competition thereby creating an atmosphere of innovation and entrepreneurship across several schools. 

The first phase of this programme started in Mysuru in July 2019 with 42 students from seven local schools participating in a 3-day workshop to ideate, design and create products. Before the workshop, most of the students had neither used a computer nor built solutions using complex technology.

 After the programme, participating schools were given a starter maker lab, enough to continue the programme in their school. The kit provided by L&T includes design and fabrication facilities with 3D printers, hand tools and fabrication materials, as well as electronic modules such as sensors, motors, displays, microcontrollers, at seven Government Schools in rural Karnataka.

 Building skills in STEM has been the prime focus of all the education enhancement programmes by L&T. The conglomerate plans to impart STEM education to 23,000 students of Government Schools in the country, with a focus to equip students to face the future job market. Under this programme, L&T has provided tablets — pre-loaded with the STEM curriculum — to students in seven Government Schools in Mysuru.

Amit Kumar, Vice-President and Head – Metering and Protection System, presented prizes to the winners. Prof. Rajesh Nair, Asia School of Business and Mohan Kumar, Education Co-ordinator, Mysuru Taluk were present on the occasion, according to a press release from K.Nagaraja, AGM- Administration and Plant Engineering, L&T, Mysuru.