FIRST Robotics: Inspiring Manufacturing's Next Generation Workforce

About FIRST:
The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting Mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Check out the national FIRST Robotics website.

FIRST has resulted in:

• 515,000+ students on 59,000+ teams worldwide
• 255,000+ mentors, coaches, judges, and volunteers
• Over 19,000,000 volunteer hours
• +$70,000,000 in scholarship opportunities from over 200 providers
• 2,900+ official events across 83 countries
• 65,000+ participants at the annual FIRST Championship (in Detroit in 2018-2020)

FIRST Facts:

• FIRST participants are over 2x as likely to show an increased interest in STEM
• 87 percent of participants plan to take more challenging math or science courses
• STEM knowledge continues to grow the longer kids stay in FIRST
• Females in FIRST have a dramatically increased understanding of STEM
• FIRST alumni are 2.6x more likely to enroll in an engineering course their freshman year
• Over 75 percent of FIRST alumni are in a STEM field as a student or professional
• FIRST increases workforce skills substantially:
  • 76 percent in communication
  • 93 percent in conflict resolution
  • 95 percent in time management
  • 98 percent in problem solving

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“FIRST is more than robotics. The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect — of the program nor of themselves. They leave, even after the first session, with a vision, with confidence, and with a sense that they can create their own future”

- Dean Kamen, founder, FIRST

Contact Brett Gerrish

Communications Coordinator
Call 517-487-8533
E-mail gerrish@mimfg.org