Representatives of six FabLabs associated in the DiSTT project met at the beginning of the summer holidays at FAB25 – the global meeting of makers and technical enthusiasts, which was held in the Czech Republic for the first time in history. The aim was to introduce the DiSTT project and address participants who could use the upcoming educational programs on the SkillNest.app website in their organisations.
David Škaroupka from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology presented the project to makers and technology enthusiasts from all over the world (photo: Štěpán Filip)
Distinctive T-shirts with the inscription DiSTT is how we do it attracted the eyes of many visitors to FAB25 and provoked them to ask what DiSTT actually is. The project, which has been in operation for 1.5 years, focuses on increasing the digital skills of different population groups to better reflect current labour market needs.
"We are in the middle of the project, and now we have experience with the first trial workshops in different countries. At the FAB25 meeting, we were able to share with the participants what our Toolkit on the SkillNest.app website will be able to offer them. At this point, we want to emphasise that they do not have to put much effort into creating their own training programs, but that they can join us," said the principal investigator of the project, David Škaroupka of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology.
Do you want to start metal 3D printing in your FabLab? Or organize a contest for high school students? "All you have to do is look up the course on the SkillNest.app platform we created and apply it in your FabLab. In addition, with the support of our team of experts, who will advise on how to implement the course in the conditions that are available in your country," explained David Škaroupka.
At the moment, the SkillNest.app offers an overview of workshops and experts ready for consultation on the platform. In the coming months, another part of the workshops will be carried out in the six FabLabs involved in the project, and then the pilot events for individual population groups will be fine-tuned into their final form.
"Of the twenty courses, two are currently in the final version. The platform will be fully functional in a year," added David Škaroupka. Those interested in using SkillNest can register now and get exclusive access to the courses and newsletter.
A great advantage of participating in the FAB25 conference was also the opportunity for the project representatives to receive valuable feedback on how to adapt the courses to be as applicable as possible in different conditions, not only in Europe but around the world.