SAP South Africa has handed over a cheque for R1.4m to the First LEGO League, a program aimed at young students that teaches engineering skills and teamwork through the collaborative creation of problem-solving robots built from LEGO.

SAP’s sponsorship, which is in its ninth year, allows the South African branch of the international First LEGO League organisation to co-ordinate local teams, supply the necessary LEGO and expose local teams to international competition.

The handover happened yesterday at SAP’s offices in Johannesburg, where SAP’s COO Derek Kudsee presented the cheque to First LEGO League’s Johannes de Vries.

Every year the First LEGO League holds competitions for teams from all over the world, giving them the chance to showcase the problem-solving skills they’ve learned.

A team of learners from the German International School in Joahnnesburg gave the assembled audience a taste of what that competition entails with a live demonstration. It involved a robot they had built and programmed together that navigated a pre-set course, completing various objectives.

The robot is made primarily from LEGO, but it also has various sensors and motors as well as an onboard processor. The sensors pick up data about the terrain, informing its internal programming of its position and allowing it to navigate pre-set courses.

Teams are given eight weeks to prepare for the First LEGO League competition. They are told the layout of the courses and informed of the various challenges they will face, and they must spend those eight weeks designing and building a robot that they feel can handle the challenges, which they do under the stewardship of volunteer coaches.

De Vries told me after the event that the skills and confidence the kids pick up in the process are invaluable, often transforming them into superstars that even their parents don’t recognise. He said they also develop teamwork, social skills, analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities along the way, skills critical to success in today’s information-driven, highly-technical world. Learning in this way is also a lot of fun, he added, which helps a lot.

And he knows a thing or two about learning: De Vries is also a lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology, and was heavily involved in building the “Sun Chaser”, a solar-powered vehicle that competed in the 2014 Sasol Solar Challenge.

If any of this sounds like something you’d like to take part in, head over to the First LEGO League website and drop Johannes a line to see how you can get yourself, your school or your child involved.