RuralBOTic is a joint educational initiative by Fundación Gestamp and Fundación ASTI, designed to introduce STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), robotics and programming to schools in rural areas.

The project’s main objective is to reduce the digital divide in rural communities by promoting equal opportunities and equipping primary school students with key skills for the future workplace.

Throughout the programme, rural schools receive robotics kits and specialised training to work collaboratively on technological challenges. The initiative also connects theoretical learning with real-world industry through educational visits to Gestamp production plants, where students can see first-hand how automation and robotics are applied in the automotive sector.

The first edition of RuralBOTic brought together more than 200 students in Years 4, 5 and 6 of primary school, along with 14 teachers from five schools in the province of Burgos (CRA Diego Marín, CEIP Petra Lafont, CEIP Saturnino Calleja, CEIP Fray Enrique López and CEIP Fuentes Blancas). After working with robotics kits throughout the school year and visiting the Edscha Burgos plant, the programme concluded with a final tournament and community day held in the town of Rabé de las Calzadas.

In its second edition, the project expanded its reach to rural schools in the provinces of Palencia and Valladolid. More than 200 students from six rural schools put their digital skills and ingenuity to the test by working in teams over several months of continuous learning. The edition concluded with a technology tournament at the municipal sports centre in Dueñas, Palencia, reinforcing the programme’s commitment to developing technology talent in rural Spain.