ESG at Otis | Made to Move Communities
Made to Move Communities™
Inspiring and supporting young innovators as they pursue inclusive mobility solutions for underrepresented communities
As the company that is “Made to Move You™,” mobility is central to our vision: to give people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world.
Through this novel program, launched in 2020, we are engaging young minds to imagine new mobility solutions for people everywhere. Just as important, by giving these students safe, hands-on experiences under the mentorship of our experts, we aim to spark an early, lifelong interest in STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.
With a solid grounding in STEM subjects, students will be better prepared for the rapidly evolving global workforce, which is estimated to have as many as 50 million unfilled STEM jobs by 2030.
420+
Otis mentor volunteers
300+
Student participants
30+
Financial grants awarded
Year 3: Mobility Solutions to Reduce the Impacts of Climate Change
Today, more than ever, climate change poses a significant threat to the safety, prosperity and wellbeing of people and communities around the world. For the third year of Made to Move Communities™, we’re empowering the next generation of innovators to be a part of the solution. Otis colleagues will mentor 250+ students across the globe to develop solutions to the climate change issues impacting mobility today for the benefit of generations to come. Watch the video to learn more.
Meet our mentors
Learn more about how our colleague mentors are advancing inclusive mobility and empowering the STEM workforce of the future.
Sharon (Taiwan)
Sharon, a project supervisor at Otis Taiwan, had seen firsthand the mobility challenges faced by her aging parents, so she "immediately volunteered for the Made to Move Communities student challenge to impact the elderly community and educate young generations."
As a mentor, she used her skills and experience to guide students in developing STEM-based solutions to help older populations in Nanzih Kaohsiung move around. Inspired by a conversation with one student's grandmother, Sharon's team designed a smart container for getting drinking water from local water stations more easily.
One of Sharon's favorite memories from the experience was observing the "tremendous changes her students showed – from hesitation to confidence" as she guided them through systematic thinking and problem-solving.
Xuewei (China)
Xuewei is an electrical engineer with Otis China and a mentor in the Made to Move Communities global student competition. Together with his student team, he rose to the challenge of designing STEM-based solutions to improve mobility for older populations in their community - a pressing issue for a country where almost one-third of the population is over 60.
Xuewei reflected on the experience and his impressions of the next generation:
"Every time I exchanged ideas with the students, they were fully engaged. They kept proposing new ideas and finding suitable solutions and technical support for those new ideas. I personally learned more about how young people freely use and implement new technologies and the passion they show when applying technologies to new projects."
Carlota (Spain)
Carlota, a purchase technician at Otis Spain, imagines a future in which older populations can move around without barriers. This year's Made to Move Communities challenge presented her with the opportunity to make this dream a reality.
Carlota's team designed an innovative tech device called LAGUN, which means friend in Basque, to help older people in their community move around, access healthcare, and reduce required paperwork.
She recalls her students' humility when interviewing older people about their mobility challenges. And the pride they felt in presenting their solution.
Nicole (Colombia)
Nicole is an electrical engineer with Otis Colombia. She was also a passionate mentor to local students, sharing her knowledge and guiding their creativity throughout the challenge. Nicole was motivated by the competition's focus on improving mobility for older populations because she wants to ensure they have the freedom to continue living independently and enjoying the world around them.
She appreciates the energy and empathy her student team brought to this challenge, leaving her both inspired and hopeful for the next generation's contributions.
Mentors like Nicole and programs like Made to Move Communities are essential to closing the skills gap, the widest in Latin America. In Colombia, 50% of employers struggle to hire people with the right skills.
Past Made to Move Communities™ challenges
Mobility Solutions for Older Populations
The number of older adults is projected to double to 1.5 billion in 20501. For the second year of Made to Move Communities, we tapped young minds and applied creative thinking to help cities of the future adapt and meet the needs of this growing population. Across 14 countries and territories, teams of Otis employee mentors and students created STEM-based mobility solutions ranging from connected wheelchairs and smart escalators to a device improving access to local water stations.
Watch the video to learn more.
Mobility Solutions to COVID-19
In its first year, Made to Move CommunitiesTM engaged schools in Brazil, China, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Russia, Spain, the United States and Singapore. Under the mentorship of Otis employees, nearly 100 students spent eight weeks developing STEM-based solutions to address mobility challenges in their communities – particularly those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the video to learn more about Year 1 of Made to Move Communities and see the student solutions.
Our Winners
Why Made to Move Communities™
Inspiring STEM-based mobility solutions
Made to Move Communities, the cornerstone of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, focuses on two issues that are vital both to Otis and to the communities where we live and work: STEM education and inclusive mobility.
This annual challenge will inspire students from around the world to come up with creative, technology-based solutions for eliminating the physical, geographic and financial barriers to mobility that often afflict our neighbors.
Inclusive mobility and well-being
At Otis, we know just how important mobility is to people’s well-being and their ability to lead healthy, productive lives. Few companies have played a greater role in creating today’s connected urban world, and our innovations continue to transform how people live and work.
Yet even today, many people lack access to reliable, affordable, convenient means for getting where they need to go, whether it’s school, work, the market or to receive medical care.
We believe new technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and other smart, connected devices and networks hold the potential to address these challenges and deliver on the promise of inclusive mobility – for everyone, everywhere.
By participating in Made to Move Communities, students will get a glimpse into this exciting future – and be encouraged to play a role in shaping the world we live in today and forgenerations to come.
Preparing the 21st century workforce
50 million STEM jobs unfilled by 2030 due to skills gap
In the era of Industry 4.0, technology permeates every job category, including manufacturing and many other trades. To prepare themselves for this rapidly evolving workplace, students need a solid grounding in STEM curricula and subjects – science, technology, engineering and math.
Yet according to one estimate, a skills gap may leave as many as 50 million jobs unfilled globally by 2030.2 Made to Move Communities is one way to help close this gap, by complementing existing school programs with safe, real-world lessons conducted under the guidance of Otis experts – people who are passionate about technology and helping to nurture the next generation of innovators.
2 https://news.microsoft.com/en-xm/2019/04/12/making-an-impact-for-stem-education-in-europe/
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Japan
ICT (International College of Technology) Kanazawa
The student team created a website and app to monitor crowd levels and help revive tourism in Shiramine, an area that was affected by the impact of COVID-19. The app provides real-time data to help visitors more safely and comfortably visit the most popular, local tourist attractions, while still avoiding crowds and adhering to occupancy limits.
Number of Students
11
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Spain
Colegio Virgen de Europa
The student team identified solutions to decrease the spread of COVID-19. They developed touchless solutions and alternative methods to access stores, restaurants, and public transportation.
Number of Students
8
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China
Shanghai Jiaotong University (2), Zhejiang University (2), Beijing Institute of Technology, Nankai University, Chongqing University
After careful research on China’s population, the student teams created mobility solutions to make elevators safer, smarter, and easier to use for the country’s aging population. Ideas included providing concealed, foldaway seats in elevator cabs, installing call buttons linked to hospitals, and installing smart and interactive speakers to relieve anxiety.
Number of Students
22
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Connecticut, USA
Bloomfield High School
Students proposed innovative solutions for improving contactless grocery pick-up options. They used UV lights, conveyer belts and drones to help provide options for people who do not feel comfortable shopping in a story due to COVID-19.
Number of Students
5
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Hong Kong
ELCHK Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School
Students focused their ideas on improving access in and out of local grocery markets. From designing a user-friendly app called Foodson to a robot that can shop and deliver fresh groceries, the students’ solutions were customized to meet the needs of those who have less experience with online purchasing and technology.
Number of Students
6
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California
Jordan High School, Long Beach, California
The student team created an app to be integrated into public transportation systems – specifically, city buses. The app tracks number of passengers and identifies the least crowded – and safest – time to ride the bus. Additionally, research was done to find improved air filtration and purification systems for buses – helping commuters feel safer during the pandemic.
Number of Students
8
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Brazil
SENAC
Students created a QR code solution that monitors and improves the check-in process for people in public spaces. People provide some simple, personal health information to an online site to access and assess data on crowd levels at each location.
Number of Students
8
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Russia
Open St Petersburg
Students developed a mobile app to help residents of St. Petersburg avoid crowds, move safely, enable people to leave their homes and reduce the overall risk of COVID-19. The app was designed to help optimize the flow of people and traffic patterns in public places, while reducing congestion and overcrowding.
Number of Students
7
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Singapore
Institute of Technical Education
The students created a mask with a lightweight skin temperature device for real-time temperature checks that are refreshed every hour. The new mask design helps to eliminate the time it takes for temperature checks prior to taking public transit, making the daily commute faster and easing concerns about coming into contact with someone who is ill.
Number of Students
8
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Germany
Romain Rolland Gymnasium
Students developed three solutions to improve commuter experiences. Two solutions focused on reducing the risk of infection in elevators, by automatically disinfecting surfaces in elevators before riders enter the cab and by using technology to visualize appropriate passenger spacing inside the elevator. The third solution was designed to make cities more bicycle-friendly – enabling bicycles to ascend escalators and reach train platforms.
Number of Students
11
