At GKN Automotive, we know pursuing the goal of a cleaner, more sustainable world relies on developing the next generation of engineering talent.
At GKN Automotive, we know pursuing the goal of a cleaner, more sustainable world relies on developing the next generation of engineering talent. The engineers of tomorrow will drive innovation and create the solutions needed to meet the technical and environmental challenges the automotive industry will face in the future.
Our desire to encourage and inspire school children and students recognises the fundamental importance of engineering skills to our business, industry and the world. It’s one shared by the Greenpower Education Trust, a UK-based charity that harnesses the excitement of motorsport to inspire young people to excel in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Our Abingdon Innovation Centre in Oxford, UK, uses kits provided by Greenpower with two local schools to help pupils understand the career opportunities available in engineering and excite them about the possibilities at the same time.
The project involved supporting two age groups as they helped to build cars called the Goblin and the F24. Pupils aged 9-11 were tasked with building the white Goblin, while the black F24 was worked on by a group consisting of pupils aged between 11 and 16. Three sixth-form students volunteered to work with GKN Automotive as additional mentors to help the school children learn and develop new skills.
The hands-on experience the children get from participating in the builds is a great tool in raising their awareness of what’s possible for them in career terms, boosting their confidence by giving them new skills, and in changing their outlook on their careers and lives more generally.
Dr.Caroline Wood, Skills Development Manager, GKN Automotive: “As a business, we feel that GKN Automotive has a social responsibility to our communities and believe it’s essential that projects like these, often led by charities such as Greenpower, are given support from industry to help them make such valuable contributions to our future talent, industry and society as a whole.”
   |
While our own staff found participating in the project incredibly rewarding, it was the feedback they received from school teachers and of course, the children themselves, that reveals just how important this kind of work is to the community.
GKN Automotive’s commitment to STEM engagement already includes our Skills Development Programme at the Abingdon Innovation Centre, which supports the development of engineering skills through STEM engagement, apprenticeships, training opportunities and internal staff upskilling. The work we can participate in by collaborating with the Greenpower Education Trust is another way for us to engage in the development of the next generation of engineering talent.