With a focus on the future, Airbus is successfully spreading its spirit of innovation through a programme that inspires students in the Middle East and North Africa region to pursue careers in the aerospace industry.

This initiative -- called Airbus Little Engineer -- has been a strong success from the start in 2012. It has attracted more than 2,000 students to date for specially tailored workshops in such countries as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sri-Lanka, Morocco, Lebanon and Oman.

Designed to inspire the next generation of professionals that will support the region's fast-growing aviation sector in the future, these Airbus Little Engineer workshops offer a fun and engaging environment for students. They are currently providing a "hands-on" introduction in three aerospace topics: Airbus Little Engineer "Robotics" workshop, for ages 10; Airbus Little Engineer "A380 Assembly" workshop, for ages 13-15; and Airbus Little Engineer "Space" workshop, for ages 15-17.

Workshops for the Airbus Little Engineer initiative have even come to this year's Dubai Airshow and took place during Future's Day, for which Airbus is one of the main sponsors. These workshops were run in collaboration with key stakeholders and partners, such as the General Civil Aviation Authority, Mubadala, UAE Space Agency and Dubai Airport Free Zone.

Airbus Little Engineer results from the Airbus Middle East subsidiary's partnership with The Little Engineer, an edutainment organisation that promotes the appreciation of science, technology, engineering and math.

Contributed by Airbus S.A.S.