Apprentices present Garaventa AG

The second of a total of three SimplyNano training courses planned in the canton of Schwyz recently took place at Garaventa AG in Goldau. In the introductory courses, teachers receive valuable introductions to the use of the entire learning medium (learning workshop for learners, documents for teachers and USB stick) in addition to the experimental part. The SimplyNano project also aims to build a bridge between school and professional practice. For this reason, the courses for teachers are always held at interesting company locations. Garaventa AG provided an extremely exciting setting for this. “Our apprentices are committed to the event and will present their apprenticeship company themselves in a tour” opened Marco Wettach, vocational trainer of the design engineers, the presentation of Garaventa AG. The young people enthusiastically guided the teachers through the production halls. Garaventa AG, which is now part of the Doppelmayr Group, has been building ropeways for the whole world for over 90 years. Again and again in the past, various projects were realized with a pioneering spirit. World firsts were, for example, the first Rotair reversible aerial tramway on the Titlis in 1992, the first double-decker reversible aerial tramway in Samnaun in 1995, or the first convertible aerial tramway on the Stanserhorn. In this innovative environment, Garaventa offers exciting apprenticeships, including ropeway mechatronics technician, design engineer, polymechanic, and plant and apparatus engineer. The course participants received first-hand information about these apprenticeships from the apprentices on site.

Promoting enthusiasm for STEM subjects

Getting young people excited about scientific and technical topics was the common goal of this continuing education course. The teachers were able to carry out the individual experiments of the SimplyNano 2 experiment kit independently in a post run and immerse themselves in nanotechnology in a playful way.

Nanotechnology is the “science of the very small”. As a cross-sectional technology, it combines the fields of chemistry, biology and physics. With simple and everyday experiments, the SimplyNano 2 experiment kits are very well suited for NT lessons or STEM subjects in the upper school.

The award-winning education project now also for schools in Schwyz

With its innovative concept of a cross-sector education project, the SimplyNano project won the Swiss Building Award 2021. By 2025, all interested schools throughout Switzerland are to be equipped with SimplyNano 2 experimental kits.

As part of the “Schwyz Project”, all secondary schools in the canton of Schwyz are now receiving class sets of a total of 200 SimplyNano 2 experiment cases. Thanks to the support of the project from the Asuera and the Dimitris N. Chorafas – Foundation, the experimental kits and the advanced training courses can be offered free of charge to the schools.

Source: Innovation Society

Image source: Innovation Society

20.6.2023
Ricarda Zech