Competition Training Programme

To be shortlisted, students will need to complete the prerequisite course before the start of the training programme.

Competition invitations will be sent out at least one month before the start of the training programme via email. Students who qualify for it will be automatically added into our competition mailing list.

At Nullspace we believe that in order to do well at national level competition events, our participants have to meet a certain level of proficiency before the competition training. While other training centres may try to sell the idea of allowing any child to participate at national competitions, the reality is that such teams will be disadvantaged in the competition arena.

In all forms of competitions, be it sports, performing arts, chess, etc. Children spend years to prepare for national competitions. Training centres that claim that your child can do well in robotics competitions with a team of inexperienced participants are not being truthful about the preparation work involved.

The competitions that we participate in are all team based events. It is important for team members to work well together. For Nullspace we consider the following when it comes to team formation:

1. Competition Experience – Every team will have a mixture of seasoned and first time competition participants.
2. Current Skillsets – Before every competition training, there will be a skills test to determine how well prepared a participant is. Some participants may be encouraged to do 1-2 refresher training sessions before the competition.
3. Complimentary Skillsets – Every team will have a mixture of participants who are good at robot building, programming, documentation/presentation.
4. Positive Dynamics – Every team should be able to work well together independently. Team members should display encouraging and affirming behaviour toward one another.

The number of training sessions required varies with the type of competition event as well as the competition timeline.

For instance, challenge-based competitions such as IDE Series (which requires students to prepare for an unknown mission) will require approximately 4-6 sessions.

Whereas preparation intensive competitions such as FLL / NRC (which require students to prepare a presentation) will require approximately 14-16 sessions to prepare for.

The competition training package fees can be broken down into training fees (depending on the number of sessions) and a competition fee (which includes the team’s registration fees, rental of sets, laptops, etc.).

These fees will be stated upfront in the competition invite and must be paid in full before the start of the training programme.

Students with remaining course packages may use them to offset the competition fees. More details will be stated in the competition invite.

Competition Training Sessions are typically held on weekday 3.30pm to 6pm or 6pm to 8.30pm.

Students who wish to participate in the training programmes must ensure that they are able to commit to a minimum of 85% attendance. Make up training sessions will be conducted as a team subject to team members and instructors availability. The competition instructors will be in communication with the parents to arrange for additional/make up training sessions if required.