Inspiring Innovation: MK College Group supports Red Bull’s new STEMx initiative
To promote science, technology, engineering and maths study to school-goers and to inspire the next generation of engineering talent in Formula One, Oracle Red Bull Racing has joined forces with Milton Keynes College Group to create a new initiative, STEMx. And to celebrate the launch of a project designed to deliver long-lasting change and opportunity, more than 40 primary school pupils joined Red Bull Racing and MK College Group for a series of F1-focused challenges.
Oracle Red Bull Racing has always placed people power at the centre of its passion for racing and across its two decades on the grid. However, there can be challenges with recruiting skilled people for its roles as school children and students with outstanding potential are deflected from engineering-based careers due to lack of encouragement, under-exposure to the career options available and other factors.
To change this, Oracle Red Bull Racing in partnership with Milton Keynes College Group has created STEMx, a radically different programme that seeks to encourage all students to pursue science, technology, engineering and maths-oriented careers, with a particular focus on under-represented groups.
Created as part of Red Bull Racing’s Drive for Change strategy and targeted at children aged from 9 -14, STEMx will provide a mobile, interactive, and experiential learning experience in schools and online via a six-week programme, all aligning to national curriculum. With accessibility and innovation at its core, the programme has been designed to not only maximise reach through its online presence and via a mobile pop-up unit, but also so that it can be customised for each age group to tie in essential aspects and core skills of each specific key stage curriculum.
To mark the launch of STEMx, the team invited more than 40 school children to the Red Bull Technology Campus to participate in STEM-focused F1 activities including coding, simulator driving, reaction games, F1 quizzes, and Lego building.
The children’s immersion in F1-related tech finished with a mini podium to celebrate the top scorers in the games, after which the children received a goodie bag containing team swag.
Launching STEMx, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner said: “As a team, we feel strongly that the talent pool we are recruiting from should better reflect the diversity of wider society but to achieve this, we must disrupt the STEM talent pipeline from grassroots level. That’s what STEMx is all about – reaching as many potential engineers as possible through a programme that is flexible, multi-faceted and which, most importantly, is mobile. STEMx can go to them, no matter where they may be. We always say that people are our most important asset, and our aim is to inspire young people to pursue STEM subjects at school and to eventually translate that passion into successful careers, hopefully within F1 and at Red Bull Technology.”
Milton Keynes College Group’s CEO and Group Principal Sally Alexander added: “Milton Keynes College Group is excited and proud to support the Programme’s mission to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators, while widening local talent pools in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas.
“Diversity of thought and experience is essential for driving innovation, and we are proud to support the creation of a more inclusive and diverse STEM ecosystem. By encouraging people from underrepresented communities to consider STEM as a career path, we are fostering a more equitable and innovative future – a brighter future for all.”
Reflecting the diversity of talent in Milton Keynes and the potential that exists to inspire children in the city, STEMx will be piloted in the team’s home town and then rolled out to surrounding areas over the next year.
You can find out more about STEMx here STEMx by Oracle Red Bull Racing
