Year 10 students from all four of ALET’s UTCs stepped into the shoes of mechanical engineers, computer programmers, forklift drivers and builders during exciting AWS Robotics Workshops delivered by Creative Hut, on behalf of Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The hands-on sessions were part of the Digital Futures Programme, aimed at helping students develop the skills needed in today’s evolving tech-driven job market.
The Challenge: Build and program a robot
The task set for the students was to design and program a prototype robot forklift capable of navigating an Amazon data centre and moving server racks from one area to another. Working in teams, students used LEGO Spike kits to construct their robots, combining STEM knowledge with creativity.
Exploring the future of work
The workshop kicked off with Adam Morgan and Alex Gatehouse from Creative Hut, who introduced students to the growing role of artificial intelligence and robotics in the workplace, including real-world applications in Amazon warehouses and data centres.
The discussion also explored how technology is reshaping career paths for young people. While some traditional roles are being automated, new opportunities are emerging – especially in areas involving problem-solving, creativity and emotional intelligence.
“What will always be needed,” said Adam, “are soft skills – emotional intelligence, teamwork, leadership, resilience and communication – lifelong skills that make humans stand out from robotics.”
Coding and collaboration
Once the robots were built, students moved on to the next challenge: programming them to travel across a desktop map and accurately move a LEGO server rack using a mechanical forklift arm. Some teams went above and beyond – adding creative touches like light-up smiley faces, music and animal sound effects to their robots.
“I’ve really enjoyed today,” said UTC Oxfordshire student Andre. “It’s been fun building the truck and using coding to work out where it can travel to.”
Liam said: “I prefer learning interactively like this – I find it easier to learn.”
His teammate Nazarii agreed: “It’s been really good fun learning the coding and also learning from making mistakes and going back and correcting it.”
Head of Year 10 and Careers Lead at UTC Oxfordshire, Gerrie Fourie, praised the event:
“I think days like these, where students are learning resilience and persistence hands-on, are really important. It’s also good to see students working with others outside of their friendship groups – it takes them out of their comfort zones and helps them grow.”
Trainer Alex said that the workshop’s real value lies not in robotics, but in developing the soft skills that students will carry forward into any career:
“It’s not really a technological task – it’s more about soft skills. It’s great to get them physically building and programming something they can see come to life.”
A Step Towards the Digital Future
The AWS Robotics Workshop is just one part of the Digital Futures Programme, which helps students explore transferrable skills in the fast-growing data services industry. To learn more about the Digital Futures Programme, visit: Digital Futures Programme
A big thank you to Adam and Alex for delivering such a fun and enriching experience for our students.
