As part of the Make App Club initiative, Wavemaker wanted to offer different groups of young people the chance to try different technologies through easy to follow and flexible sessions.
One such session was held on 5th February 2018. After previously working with PM Training, Wavemaker knew that the training provider’s students could benefit from learning additional digital skills which they could call upon during their apprenticeships, as well as make them appear more desirable to future employers.
With this in mind, Wavemaker invited PM Training’s ‘office works’ group to join them at their headquarters to learn more about Adobe Illustrator and how to use it, as well as put their knowledge into practice by creating their own keyrings.
After introductions and a brief discussion about the ever-popular 3D printer, the group started to learn more about the software and its capabilities. At first, as was expected, the group was unsure but, with a little encouragement, began to grow in confidence and explore what they could do with Illustrator. The students settled on a wide range of ideas, from giraffes and penguins to mandalas, whilst learning about key-terms such as rasters and vectors as they put together their designs.
By the end of the session, learners had at least a basic grasp of the software and watched as their designs were cut using the laser cutter. Apart from having something to take away with them, and bragging rights over what they’d made, many of them had a better idea of what digital technology meant and what it was capable of. Even better, learners had a better grasp on what Illustrator was and how it worked- something which gives them a good foundation for future digital skills.
Wavemaker discussed how students could use Illustrator further, and made sure to let learners know that they were welcome to come back to their headquarters and improve their skills further. Furthermore, Wavemaker discussed with PM Training the possibility of holding more workshops like this and how they could begin to incorporate their own makerspace.