Announced at the IFA trade show in Berlin, Samsung Electronics partners with MakerBot to bring 3D printers to classrooms across Europe.

Samsung Electronics have long been a major exhibitor at the IFA trade show in Berlin; the consumer technology company typically takes up acres of floor space to show off their latest phones, televisions and other gadgets.

But this year they’ve branched out into something new — 3D printing — and they’re sharing the stage with a familiar face.

The Samsung digital skills programme, which aims to raise digital literacy among students at all grade levels, has signed up a major partner in MakerBot, still the most recognizable brand in desktop 3D printing. Together they will be supplying schools, colleges and museums with 3D printers for their use.

Andreas Langfeld, General Manager of MakerBot EMEA, said in a press release:

“Samsung and MakerBot share the same vision of developing new technologies that help prepare students for the jobs of the future. 3D printing can help teach many of the 21st century skills that employers are looking for and applying knowledge to the real world. We’re excited to partner with Samsung to help even more educators and students discover the power of 3D printing.”

The planned first phase will launch in Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Sweden this year, building on Samsung’s established network of 1,300 Smart Classrooms and 65 Digital Academies.

The framework for collaboration is to combine design and coding classes with 3D printing, so that students can experience an end-to-end workflow as a way to develop ideas and innovate.

Samsung Electronics and MakerBot are New BFF

Evelyn Nicola, Sustainability & Citizenship Manager, Samsung Europe, said in a press release:

“In response to the alarming skills gap and high levels of youth unemployment in 2013, we backed the European Commission’s Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs with a pledge to engage 400,000 young people across Europe by 2019. We will achieve our goal 3 years early so we can now invest further in educating thousands of young people in the latest digital skills.”

Nicola is optimistic that the partnership with MakerBot will lead to a network of ‘Lighthouse Schools’, centres of excellence for digital learning across Europe, which can teach technology skills and encourage design and manufacture.

“Just imagine a 9 year old girl with her idea for a new design, being able to turn her idea at school into reality and take home” she said. “Experiencing the entire creation journey, from idea to digital concept to physical object represents the future of learning and R&D.”

MakerBot has already made great strides in this area by themselves, providing educators and students with resources and services to apply their skills in real-world scenarios. Augmenting their efforts with a powerful brand like Samsung is great news for MakerBot and for 3D printing in general.

What do you think of this new partnership? Are you a teacher or work in education and have experience of these programmes yourself? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Press Release