TechCamp@POLIMI is the first Italian initiative directing secondary school students towards university level courses in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). TechCamp courses are designed for secondary school students, above first year, and are prepared and taught by teachers, researchers and PhD students at Politecnico di Milano. The intense week-long courses, in English, are held at the Città Studi campus after schools break up.
The programme intends to introduce teenagers to several of the most topical and important themes in technology, such as programming, robotics and self-drive vehicles.

These June courses have been running for two years, in 2018 and 2019, attended by over 250 pupils. Courses are taught in English by professors, researchers and PhD students at Politecnico di Milano. Our partner companies awarded 57 scholarships in 2019. The students worked in teams with other teenagers on projects in programming and on the control of real robots or self-driving vehicles; they leant how to identify and resolve real-life problems, operate within a university environment and engage proactively and positively in a work team to take on global challenges. This programme taught students how to recognise their own abilities and inclinations, which will crucially help them in making decisions in their personal and professional lives.

Registrations went up noticeably in 2019 compared to 2018. Sponsoring companies gave their full backing to the initiative and, in 2019, provided scholarships to about one third of all entrants. Students gave us very positive feedback on the value of the courses, and many of them found that TechCamp allowed them to take more informed university decisions.