PSV and Brainport Eindhoven promote technical education by starting school challenge

PSV and Brainport Eindhoven promote technical education by starting school challenge

Brainport Eindhoven and EFDN member PSV Eindhoven have joined forces for a school challenge, in which they introduce children in group 6 from ten elementary schools in the region to technology and the world of professional sports in a new way. During the kick-off of the school challenge, their teachers were appointed as so-called PSV trainers and the first assignment was announced: designing the club of the future.

The classes are challenged to come up with the best plan. To conclude, there will be a final day in the Philips Stadium in June 2021 where the schools can present their ideas. Toon Gerbrands, PSV Managing Director: “We want to stay in touch with students and we want to introduce children to technology and the world of top sports. Together, they will work on assignments in areas such as safety, mobility, healthcare and energy. The open-minded and creative insights of children can contain solutions that adults don’t think about”.

Valuable role in primary education
The school challenge focuses on primary education. In the first year, a pilot will be started with group 6 from 10 selected elementary school from the region. In the coming years, the project will be extended to group 7 and 8 and to all schools in the Brainport region. The school challenge will get a full role in the curriculum of the primary education of the participating schools. Elementary school of PSV-star and Eindhovener Cody Gakpo also participates. Gakpo has joined the project as an ambassador: “This is a great way to teach children in a fun way about how special our region is… The link to PSV and thus top sport teaches children that technique is very varied and super cool. I am proud that we are building this project together”.

Preparing for a changing world of technology
With the school challenge, the Brainport partners want to prepare elementary school children for jobs of the future. The emphasis of the programme is on stimulating 21st-century skills such as collaboration, research, design and creativity. These skills are important to prepare children for a wide range of possibilities of studying and working in the constantly changing world of technology. Lucas van Grinsven, head of communications VDL Groep: “By teaming up with the youngest youth now, we are creating a think tank that is new. And not just for PSV, but for the entire region. This is where the smartest people in our country live and that is how it should stay. By letting children already experience at elementary school that technology is fun and very diverse, we can make a nice contribution to the partnership”.

PSV in 2030: the club of the future
Pupils work in groups on the club of the future. They try to answer questions like: What will PSV look like in 2030? Will PSV still have an energy bill in 2030? How to set up a stadium without doors? How can you get 35,000 people to come to the stadium in an energy-conscious way? Will all fans of the club live a healthy life? Is there enough food in the area for everyone? They examine these questions on the basis of five important themes: energy, health, safety, nutrition, and mobility.