IDEAS: Ethiopian Airlines Launches New School to Encourage STEM Education in Africa

Ethiopian Airlines has partnered with Boeing and ThinkYoung to launch a new school aimed at encouraging underprivileged African youth to pursue higher education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The STEM School, which will be hosted at the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation University will offer a six-week curriculum with over 300 hours of classes and training.

The program is set to welcome 24 students – 50% of which will be female – from various regions of Ethiopia, with the initiative also set to offer a teacher training program in order to equip educators with the necessary tools to teach advanced STEM concepts. 

During the program, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of STEM, coding, and programming, while also learning essential soft skills like teamwork and problem-solving. Students will also be given the opportunity to shadow Ethiopian Airlines staff and receive mentoring throughout the program.

“We are delighted in our collaboration with Boeing and ThinkYoung to launch the STEM School initiative, which helps Ethiopian youths to succeed in education and in their future careers, primarily in aviation fields, and to become the next generation of innovators. We believe in going at a compatible pace with the speed of technology and being prepared for future demands. This cooperation and initiative will develop young people to meet the future needs of the fast-growing Ethiopian aviation industry,” said Mesfin Tasew, group chief executive officer at Ethiopian Airlines. 

Skift Ideas uncovers the most creative and forward-thinking innovations happening across travel. We celebrate innovation through our Skift IDEA Awards and hear from leaders on our Ideas podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.