FIRST® is a not-for-profit public charity working to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.
The charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.
It inspires them to become leaders and innovators, and enhance their 21st-century work-life skills.
The exciting mentor-based programs foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
The FIRST® Robotics Competition
One of the programs run by FIRST® is the FIRST® Robotics Competition. Combining the excitement of sport with the rigours of science and technology, the FIRST® Robotics Competition is the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High-school student participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have”.
Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.
It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Each season ends with an exciting FIRST® Championship.
How are we supporting FIRST®?
To create their robots, teams can request a variety of resources from the network of FIRST® sponsors.
SOLIDWORKS® are a sponsor of the program, providing access to a dozen SOLIDWORKS® products, tutorials and a Kit of Parts, which they can use to create quick assemblies and models of their robots.
With their SOLIDWORKS® licenses, FIRST® Robotics Competition teams also had access to DriveWorksXpress, included free inside every seat of SOLIDWORKS.
By using DriveWorksXpress, students are able to automate parts of their robot design to save time and reduce errors.
Improving Skills & Gaining Knowledge
Not only are they improving their robot and the team’s performance, they’re also adding to their CAD skills.
Investing in the future and supporting STEM is very important to us. We launched our DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification Program to help students learn the design automation skills they need and gain a certification to prove their knowledge and skills.
Two students from Ayer Shirley FIRST® Robotics Team (Andromeda One) were the first high school students in the world to become Certified DriveWorksXpress Associates.
Becoming a Sponsor
We want to help even more students learn extra skills that will help them in future STEM careers, so we are also a FIRST® Robotics Competition Sponsor.
As part of the FIRST® Robotics Supplier Sponsorship, FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams can now request a free 12-month license of DriveWorks Solo.
Using DriveWorks Solo will help teams automate their repetitive SOLIDWORKS tasks and free up students and mentors to focus on quality robot design.
In addition to the software, students have access to resources to support their learning, including DriveWorks Solo Technical Webinars, Online Training, How-to Videos, Extensive Online Help Files and much more.
We are excited to be part of the FIRST® Robotics Competition, supporting teams with useful resources, learning opportunities and new skills.
Problem Solving Through a Pandemic
After a successful launch to the season in 2019, in the spring of 2020 FIRST® made the decision to cancel the FIRST® Robotics Competition season in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Many teams did not bring their visions and robots to completion, nor did they have a chance to compete and network with their mentors, peers, and friends.
As an organisation that teaches young people how to solve problems and innovate, FIRST® responded to the pandemic in a way they would want students to.
While the on-site competitions were cancelled, the mission of FIRST® stuck– “…to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders…” and that’s what they have worked hard to continue.
Staying Connected
Even though the competition season had to be cancelled, FIRST worked hard to ensure that teams were staying connected and continuing developing skills and learning from home.
In May 2020, FIRST @ Home was launched as a way to offer free, creative activities for their community to engage in online learning and skills building.
To help keep young people engaged during this time, FIRST® created this as a shared space to learn about opportunities for online learning/skills development, FIRST® supported activities, and provide a place to stay connected to the FIRST® community during this global pandemic.
How can FIRST® teams get support from us?
FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams can request a license of DriveWorks Solo Design Automation Software for a period of one year.
Get in touch with our team to Request Your License.
How else are we supporting STEM?
We continue to actively promote and support STEM. The DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification is available completely free to anyone who has access to SOLIDWORKS. Students and professionals can learn DriveWorksXpress and get certified in 3 easy steps.
Our team also attend events – both in person and online – to teach students about DriveWorksXpress and to inspire them to follow STEM careers.
Investing in our own team and their future is also hugely important to us. We have an Investors in People Silver Award and we take on placement students and graduates across multiple disciplines. Many of our students continue their careers with us and most of our team started their careers here as a student.