FIRST® Australia
A global robotics community preparing young people for the future
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international not-for-profit program that promotes STEM education to students aged 4 to 18.
In collaboration with mentors, coaches and volunteers, the FIRST program sparks a passion for STEM in young people through a progression of team-based robotics challenges. The aim is that participants of all ages develop real-world skills, confidence and resilience to:
- learn important life skills
- succeed in the competitive workforce of tomorrow.
FIRST® Programs
Students work collaboratively to solve themed robotics challenges
Ages 4 to 16
Three tiers, from pre-school to young teens, where students learn STEM basics while gaining valuable teamwork skills.
Ages 12 to 18
Students learn to think like engineers by co-designing, building and coding robots to compete against other teams.
Ages 14 to 18
Teams build an industrial-sized robot to compete in partnership against other teams. Strict time limits and rules apply.
FIRST has its origins in the United States, where it was founded by inventor Dean Kamen in the late 1980s. The FIRST program is more than robots, with the robots acting as a vehicle for students to learn important life skills:
“Kids often come in not knowing what to expect; of the program nor of themselves. They leave, even after the first season, with a vision, with confidence, and with a sense that they can create their own future.”
Dean Kamen, Founder
Pioneered in Australia by
