OUR STORY AND ACTIVITIES
The Merkuur team has developed mobile workshops to introduce various trades, techniques and tools in the metal and wood industries to young people and to offer them hands-on opportunities to test the tasks associated with these trades in order to raise their career awareness and competitiveness in the fields of technology and engineering.
As at the start of 2021, the Merkuur team has organised more than 1000 science, technology and engineering workshops for about 10,000 young people. While offering training activities, instructors of mobile workshops actively cooperate with key figures and entrepreneurs in the fields of nature, the exact sciences and technology. Young people get acquainted with real product development processes by applying their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as modern technologies based on the principles of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.
The Merkuur team has developed two mobile workshops and more than 80 different learning solutions to provide young people with hands-on opportunities to carry out tasks in metal and woodwork, electronics, bionics and many other engineering tasks. The Mobile Workshops is one of a kind service as the teacher Lauri Soosaar is the only person in Estonia to teach technology in a self-built mobile classroom. Mobile Workshop activities take place all over Estonia and any school can request the mobile classroom service at their premises.
In the beginning, the Mobile Workshops service and its activities were provided as a form of non-formal learning. Since 2018, the Merkuur team has consistently worked on developing partnership with various general education schools, vocational schools and colleges. Teachers and mentors of mobile workshops organise technology lessons, project days and hobby groups in schools. The Mobile Workshops service is a good example of partnership between schools and enterprises. In addition to daily teaching activities, the Merkuur team has developed a modern methodological material used to introduce CNC equipment (e.g. 3D printer, laser engraver, CNC milling machine) to young people and to implement their new knowledge both individually and in teams, while carrying out product development tasks, testing various material treatment methods and preparing metal and wood products with a real purpose.
