Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) is a global computer science education program that aims to provide underrepresented communities with access to resources and opportunities in the technology industry. Launched in India in September 2021, the AFE program has supported over 4.5 lakh students from 3000 government schools in 11 states to explore and learn computer science through interactive digital and in-person learning interventions. These students, who are primarily from low-income families, are able to learn about coding, robotics, web design, computer-aided design, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
In its first year in India, AFE also provided 200 scholarships to girls from low-income families to pursue computer science education, and this year the number of scholarships has been increased to 500.
The program delivers its content through a range of initiatives, including Code-a-Thon, a project-based boot camp for students to learn the basics of computers and programming, and the Amazon Cyber Robotics Challenge, which offers an immersive gaming experience to teach students about robotics. AFE also hosts class chat sessions with Amazon employees, who share their personal journeys and advice on careers in the tech industry.
To make its content more accessible, AFE provides mobile-friendly content in regional languages and has developed digital computer science learning apps like ‘Code-Mitra’ and ‘Meraki’ that allow students to learn on mobile devices, even without internet access, in their own languages. The program also invests in infrastructure and deploys additional facilitators wherever necessary to support teachers and students.
Overall, Amazon Future Engineer is helping to bridge the digital divide and provide students from underrepresented communities with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in the technology industry.
Today, the Honorable Cabinet Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda, inaugurated the joint program between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) at the YMCA Auditorium in New Delhi. The program aims to bring computer science education to Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) and enhance teachers’ understanding of computational thinking, digital learning pedagogy, and using computer science as a teaching tool. As part of the program, teachers from EMRSs will be trained on computer science fundamentals and will conduct block programming courses for students in grades 6 and above.
The students will also have the opportunity to interact with Amazon employees and learn about careers in technology and how it can be used to solve real-world challenges. Through this program, AFE aims to introduce students to the fundamentals of computer science and enable them to create their own projects using open source block coding platforms. By providing these resources and opportunities, AFE and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are working to bridge the digital divide and provide students in EMRSs with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in the technology industry.
Modern Information Technology shall enable early exposure to and bolster the preparedness of students for future careers in STEM education. Learning Links Foundation (LLF) is a philanthropic organization working for ‘Amazon Future Engineer Program’ that is unique in the area of computational skills training for students and teachers of EMRSs.
