Abstract:

“The future depends on what you do in the present”, these words of Gandhi are at the core of “Pense Indústria” (Thinking Industry, PI).

PI is an Entrepreneurship and Innovation project, promoted in synergy by the 7 Portuguese Technological Centres with educational communities. For over 27 years, PI has been engaging and training young adults, aged 12 to 18, conveying a new image of Industry, through a creative approach focused on hands-on activities and national and international competitions.

PI contributes to vocational guidance in students (by demonstrating professional opportunities and specialized training needs) and helps them to acquire and reinforce skills that are relevant to all areas of the industry, which will clearly be reflected on the country's competitive capacity.

Among these skills are Soft Skills (like a Positive attitude towards Industry, Resilience, Problem solving, Time management, Communication, Teamwork and Learning potential), Digital Skills (digital technologies, industrial technologies and computer technologies) and Technical Skills (like the use of machines, equipment and modelling software), that allow participants to broaden their knowledge of the most diverse areas, and to make a more conscious and appropriate future career according to their interests and aptitudes.

In order to meet our goals, we promote the follow pursuits:
(1) Hands-on awareness-raising activities (at Schools and at the Technological Centres);
(2) Thematic hands-on activities;
(3) Visits to Industries, Universities and Technology Centres;
(4) A National Entrepreneurship Competition: “This is an idea - IoT”;
(5) An International STEM and digital tools Competition: “F1 in Schools”.

Our activities (act.) are based in Pedagogical Innovative methods that include: Flipped Learning (act. 4 and 5); Collaborative and Problem-based Learning (act. 2, 4 and 5); Game-based Learning and Gamification (act. 2, 4 and 5); Active and Experiential Learning (all act.); Creativity and Design Thinking (act. 1, 2, 4 and 5); Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (act. 1, 2, 4 and 5); Language Learning Innovations (act. 5); STEM Education Experiences (all act.); Tutoring and Mentoring (act. 4 and 5); Assessment of Student Learning (act. 4 and 5); Learning Space Design (act. 4 and 5) and 21st Century Skills (all act.).
Both schools, educators, municipalities and business/industry communities strongly recognize this project's merit and an evaluation of the project has been carried out by an external entity, through questionnaires and interviews.

This edition of PI, PI i4.0, started in 2020 and is a work in progress, with the Fourth Industrial Revolution at its core. So far, we have reached 21 364 students: 16740 students on act. (1); 3 288 students on act. 2; 714 students on act. (3); 622 students on act. (4)

PI is an inclusive project, free from any discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, nationality, disability or other, and contributes to the fight against school dropout, failure and consequent social exclusion, in addition to stimulating equal opportunities of learning and employment for all.

If you want to know more about this project, funded by COMPETE 2020 and the European Social Fund (free for all pupils), visit our pages:
https://www.penseindustria.pt | https://www.facebook.com/penseindustria | https://www.instagram.com/penseindustria

Keywords:

Hands-on learning, collaborative learning, entrepreneurship, digital tools, stem, science, maths, engineering, arts, technology, creativity, problem solving.