LTS celebrates 10 years of educating young minds to create, code and pitch ideas directly to business.

Dr. Sergio Coronado is a man with a very busy day job, as CIO of NSPA. Perhaps he is in that position due to the chance he got as a 12 year old to learn to code plus a great mentor. Sergio showed a natural affinity in the after school club, which was noticed by the trainer, who took it upon himself to give Sergio extra time between the youth and adult lessons. Sergio then stayed through the adult lessons and the trainer even drove him home. It is this giving-back mentality and mentorship that Sergio and his team bring to the Luxembourg Tech School.

Sergio’s life is an example of constant growth through learning and contribution - giving back to society. Perhaps this is the combination to lead a deeply fulfilling life.

Sergio’s continual learning is particularly apt now, in a time when we simply cannot keep pace fully with the speed of change of AI. Nonetheless he encourages us all to keep learn, build the habit of making informed decisions, and accepting that experience comes from making choices and living with consequences.

He adds “If you think you can do something, then try. Don’t sit there. Just try.”

The Luxembourg Tech School (LTS) started a decade ago with Sergio Coronado alongside Ralph Marschall, Anush Manukyan and Christophe Tréfois. Since then it has grown into a nationwide, after-school, non-profit programme for 12–19-year-olds.

Their training model is project driven, tackling some of the most important tech issues of our times, and those most closely connected to the economy of Luxembourg: cybersecurity, AI, fintech, emerging tech, space resources and Game Dev.

LTS also flips the traditional classroom model, so that teams work on projects over the term or through weekend hackathons to deliver projects to deadlines, and then pitch their designs to business leaders directly connected to industry.

Even when things don’t go perfectly, that becomes part of the lesson. Even when a project isn’t finished, the success is still getting up there and explaining why. In other words: real deadlines, real pressure, real communication, which is really the full 360 of modern life.

Over the past decade, LTS has grown to deliver a three year programme, with early years added in addition. There are over 20 partner schools, 18 groups per year, and more than 200 annual students. They also work with refugee communities in societal inclusion programmes, plus students who have special needs through Digital Inclusion programmes, notably the autism community. Sergio and his team have noticed that the confidence of the autistic children grew when they could show what they had built.

This whole programme is entirely free for students. This depends on donorship from ministries, institutions and companies, and they’re always happy to receive more!

Find out more and get involved: LTS is open to students aged 12–19, and supporters can help as partners, mentors or sponsors. www.techschool.lu | info@techschool.lu

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