Anyone who has worked in motorsport or attended any event will have noticed something quite worrying. Be it drivers to directors, or mechanics to marketing experts, the number of women involved in the sport is disproportionate. For too long, motorsport has been a male dominated arena where diversity has struggled to make headway.
But we at Envision Virgin Racing want this to change. That’s why recently we worked with our partner Stanley Black & Decker and international organisation ‘greenlight for girls (g4g)’ to help inspire female students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Around 50 girls aged 11 to 15 from local schools were invited to Silverstone University Technical College to learn about the importance of STEM education in a special event organised by the three organisations.
With a full day of exciting activities planned, the event commenced with a panel discussion on the positive benefits of acquiring STEM skills – in particular for girls, who are traditionally under-represented in STEM studies and careers. The girls also met inspiring women role models during the day, including female employees of the Envision Virgin Racing team!
Each student was given the chance to participate in an array of interactive and hands-on workshops exploring subjects such as chemistry, robotics and welding, as well as a visit to the Envision Virgin Racing Formula E Headquarters, where students experienced ‘a day in the life of a racing team’ and discovered how skilled technicians and engineers work behind the scenes with Stanley Black & Decker tools to maintain the team’s front-running position in the all-electric motorsport championship.
Today, there are 10 million manufacturing jobs around the world that remain unfilled due to the skills gap. As a global manufacturing leader, and as a key pillar of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Stanley Black & Decker is committed to empowering 10 million makers by 2030. They will aim to accomplish this by ensuring its own workers, those in surrounding communities and young people around the world can gain appropriate practical skills and secure sustainable careers.
With Formula E designed to appeal to a new, younger, more diverse motorsport fan, we hope these opportunities will inspire the next generation of drivers, engineers, mechanics and marketing professionals to begin a career in the industry…and that many of them are women.
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