Advanced Manufacturing for Primary Schools
Through various programmes and initiatives, I-Form actively engages with primary schools from all corners of Ireland, sparking curiosity and opening students' minds to the world of opportunities within manufacturing and STEM. Engaging with primary schools to inspire Ireland's next generation of young innovative minds contributes to I-Form's objectives of:
- Addressing the skills shortage in advanced manufacturing
- Increasing the diversity of the advanced manufacturing community
We are always open to collaborating with new primary schools from across Ireland - please get in touch with us if you are interested in getting involved.
Empower3D
'Empower3D' is a project funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme. I-Form is working together with partners in France and the Czech Republic to deliver on the project's mission of empowering the engineers of tomorrow through 3D printing. The programme offers 3D printing training for primary teachers, and also organises an annual 3D design competition for primary students. Visit this page to find out more about the project.
Resources
Co-developed with primary teachers and other project partners, I-Form has contributed to the development of teaching resources in 3D printing which are linked to the primary school curriculum. These are freely available for you to view and download below:
Taiscéalaí Teacher's Guide
Taiscéalaí Student Workbook
Empower3D - 3D Printing and Modelling for Schools
I-Form has also assisted in the development of a series of e-learning modules on 3D printing that are available to all interested teachers. The free online modules can be completed online and at your own pace. If you would like access to this content on the EIT Manufacturing Academy platform, email michael.golden@i-form.ie to request free access.
Engineers Week
I-Form are regularly involved in activities for STEPS Engineers Week, held every year in the first week of March. Please get in touch with us if you are interested in exploring potential Engineers Week activities at your school.
STEM Matters magazine
I-Form will be the featured research centre in the March 2026 issue of ‘STEM Matters’, a 16-page publication for the primary school magazine, Primary Planet.
The issue will feature an accessible introduction to cutting-edge research in advanced manufacturing, a Design Thinking challenge for the classroom, fun videos, researcher profiles and more. Keep an eye out for this publication coming soon!
I-Form was also featured in a previous edition of STEM Matters (released in April 2022), which you can read here