FIRST LEGO League INNOFest Launches Setting New Benchmarks in Hong Kong's STEAM Education

HONG KONG, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- World Class Tests ("WCT") announced the launch of the 2024-25 FIRST® LEGO® League INNOFest ("FLL INNOFest"), a major STEAM education initiative in Hong Kong fully supported by Innovation and Technology Commission, officially launched today, injecting new momentum into Hong Kong's STEAM education! This first-of-its-kind large-scale international STEAM initiative in Hong Kong aims to champion STEAM education principles, cultivate innovative technological talent, and reinforce Hong Kong's standing as an international education hub through a thoughtfully curated programme of activities.

The launch is particularly timely as the Hong Kong SAR Government advances its robust educational reform and innovation agenda. The Government's ongoing commitment to promoting STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education in primary and secondary schools includes renewing the junior secondary Science curriculum and implementing AI-assisted teaching pilot schemes. This commitment, along with the formation of the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education, facilitates the enhancement of students' scientific thinking and fosters innovation through the seamless integration of technology and education. Beyond the introduction of primary school science subjects in the 2025/26 academic year, the Education Bureau plans to modernise the junior secondary science curriculum whilst expanding partnerships with local, mainland and international technology institutions and tertiary establishments to deliver professional development for STEAM coordinators and teachers. FLL INNOFest's comprehensive programme will equip Hong Kong's education sector with more properly trained teachers whilst fostering international exchange and bolstering global competitiveness.

Scheduled to run from December 2024 through July 2025, FLL INNOFest encompasses competitions, training and hands-on activities, anticipated to draw more than 9,000 students, 700 teachers and industry professionals, alongside 350 competing teams from 20 countries and regions, creating an international STEAM education carnival. Moving beyond traditional competition formats, FLL adopts a carnival-style approach that emphasises both learning and enjoyment. FLL encourages students to apply scientific knowledge and technology to tackle real-world challenges, establishing itself as a vital platform for advancing Hong Kong's STEAM education whilst kindling students' enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

The FLL INNOFest training programme establishes a comprehensive STEAM teaching development ecosystem, enhancing current expertise through certification programmes designed to expand the talent pool. The initiative features nearly 100 training sessions and activities, including teacher seminars, STEAM experience activities, public workshops and team-building sessions. These are expected to attract thousands of participants from nursery, primary and secondary schools, including teachers, students and parents, thereby strengthening both the professional community and public engagement. The 2024-25 programme introduces the FLL Train the Trainer certification, with graduates receiving priority consideration for roles as FLL staff, judges, referees and course instructors at future FLL STEAM innovation activities. Through systematic and continuous training, FLL INNOFest aims to foster collective wisdom and innovative thinking, positioning Hong Kong as a centre of innovation and technology.

The FLL Hong Kong Championship will be held at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) in July 2025, with 350 local teams competing in three categories: FLL Discover (ages 4-6), FLL Explore (ages 6-10) and FLL Challenge (ages 9-16), fostering creativity, engineering design, programming, and problem-solving abilities through various challenges, providing them with ongoing STEAM learning and exchange opportunities. The FLL Asia Championship in August has already attracted 3,000 competitors from over 20 countries and regions, with 480 teams competing for the Asian championship title. Hong Kong teams that excel in the FLL Hong Kong Championship and FLL Asia Championship will be invited to participate in the FLL World Championship in the United States the following April, engaging in exchanges with teams from around the world.

About FIRST® LEGO® League
FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) is a robotics-based learning programme formed by the US-based FIRST and the Danish LEGO Group in 1998. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology) is a non-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen. The purpose of the FLL alliance is to excite young people about careers in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) through LEGO bricks and educational products, in the form of various activities and competitions. The competition has held more than 3,700 competition events in over 110 countries and regions worldwide, attracting nearly 700,000 participants. To learn more at http://www.fll-innofest.com

About World Class Tests
World Class Tests is an international high-order thinking assessment that evaluates students' high-order thinking skills against internationally recognized benchmarks. Students who achieve excellent results (double distinction) in both the Mathematics and Problem-Solving Analysis subjects of the World Class Tests will have the opportunity to attend the World Class Tests Elite Invitational, where they can compete with students from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Mainland China. Students ranking in the top 10% of the Invitational will be invited to apply for the World Class Tests Scholarship. The World Class Tests Scholarship has funded students to participate in enrichment courses offered by renowned universities and colleges, including Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, Imperial College London, and St Anne's College, University of Oxford.