As part of its centenary celebrations, Festo Didactic has committed to giving back to the world through impactful educational initiatives. In this spirit, the organization selected Don Bosco Tech Africa as its strategic partner to gift Africa and especially marginalized young people with a transformative opportunity: the development of a digital Household Electrician course. This course will be integrated into the Festo Digital Learning Experience platform, reinforcing efforts to make quality technical education more accessible.
To actualize this vision, Don Bosco Tech Africa, in collaboration with Festo Didactic, hosted a Digital Skills Bootcamp from 19th to 23rd May 2025 in Nairobi. The workshop brought together eleven electrical trainers from Don Bosco TVET centres in Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Nigeria, and Ghana. The Digital Skills for Interactive E-Learning workshop aimed to strengthen each trainer’s digital fluency, pedagogical know-how, and interactive content design skills to help them create and deliver engaging, high-quality online sessions.
The methodology used during the workshop included presentations, group discussions, hands-on content creation, and practical sessions on the Festo Didactic Digital Learning Experience platform. This approach ensured participants not only understood theoretical concepts but also applied them in real-time to develop interactive e-learning content.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr. Sunday Adegunna expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to take part in the training. He described the experience as life-changing, noting that it introduced them to e-learning, an area previously limited to the computer departments in their institutions. He said the training had equipped them with valuable digital skills that they looked forward to sharing with others upon returning to their home countries.
Mr. Reinhard Pittschellis, the lead facilitator from Festo Didactic, praised the participants for their expertise and enthusiasm. He said their cooperation and eagerness to learn exceeded his expectations. He noted that while not all content was covered in detail, a strong foundation was laid for future progress. Mr. Reinhard expressed confidence in the group’s ability to produce high-quality e-learning content and thanked them for a meaningful and enriching experience.
Br. John Njuguna, Deputy Director of Don Bosco Tech Africa, described the training as a major step toward modernizing technical education. He reminded the participants “as the first cohort under this Digital Skills for Interactive E-Learning programme, you’re helping us bridge a critical skills gap, equipping trainers with digital competencies to create engaging, interactive content.” He emphasized that the programme was not about replacing traditional teaching methods but about enhancing them through digital didactic techniques. He said this shift would expand access to quality training across Africa, improve learning outcomes, greater employability for youth, and broader socio-economic transformation. He concluded by urging participants to view themselves as changemakers and to share their new skills with colleagues, helping their institutions stay ahead in the digital education space.
With the training successfully completed, the participating trainers will now collaborate to finalize and implement the Household Electrician digital course. Their collective efforts will contribute to the successful launch and widespread adoption of the programme, with the goal of making a lasting impact not only across Africa but also globally.
Original article from Don Bosco Tech Africa
