Siemens has been supporting Greenpower with bursaries, funding and volunteers since 2009 as part of its education programme to attract more students to consider engineering as career.
School teams from around the UK will be competing against each other in the grand finale of the largest electric car race series. The competitors who have designed and built their cars, giving the students experience in engineering and team building, have already competed in a series of qualifying heats held earlier in the year.
Two events will be running on the day, the first, IET Formula 24+ is for older students 16 to 25 in age who will race their vehicles in a 90 minute sprint race. The 30 car grid includes teams from Bentley Motors and Jaguar Land Rover. This will be followed by the IET Formula 24 class where the teams of students aged 11 - 16 take part in a gruelling four hour endurance race to truly test the vehicles, as well as their driving skills, to the full. With a massive 75 car grid there will be excellent action on the track.
Since starting in 1999, Greenpower now holds the Goblin Formula series for primary schools, Formula 24 for secondary schools and Formula 24+ for those aged 16-25. As the competition advances through the different age groups, the task of meeting the specifications becomes more challenging and engaging. This continuous development within the competition itself encourages its participants further into developing their own skills and knowledge, and allows a team to stay with the competition throughout their education, getting more enthusiastic as they go.
Siemens supports The Greenpower Education Trust with funding, some of which is directed towards match funded bursaries to encourage more schools, particularly from disadvantaged areas, to get involved. The company also hopes to help local schools and projects by providing information and engineering expertise in the topic of electric cars.
Head of Sustainability for Siemens, Ian Bowman said: ”Schools participating in Greenpower are seeing the benefit with more motivated students inspired by science and the UK will benefit from increased numbers continuing their studies in science, technology, engineering and maths.”
This event clearly illustrates the success of the Greenpower Education Trust which was set up to address the shortage of young people going into engineering. Emma Tyler from the Trust comments “It is estimated that there is a shortage of 31,000 engineers needed to fill industry demand in the next five years. Getting more young people involved now is the priority of Greenpower and our partner organisations”
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Notes to editors:
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 168 years ago and now employs around 16,000 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.1 billion. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
For more information, contact:
Laura Bennett
PR Manager
Siemens plc
Tel. +44 (0)1276 696374
Mobile: +44 (0)7808 823598
Laura.bennett@siemens.com
About Greenpower Education Trust
Greenpower Education Trust promotes sustainable engineering as a rewarding career to anyone aged 9-25, while also focusing on teamwork, linking industry with educational institutions and involving the community. The Trust works with over 500 schools across the UK and runs 27 events annual.
Further information is available from:
Emma Tyler
emma@greenpower.co.uk
Tel: 01243 552305
Mobile: 07766 417022
www.greenpower.co.uk
About The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community, with more than 150,000 members in 127 countries and offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The IET provides a global knowledge network to facilitate the exchange of ideas and promote the positive role of science, engineering and technology in the world.
The IET's Education 5-19 department aims to support teachers of science, design and technology, engineering and mathematics with its range of IET Faraday resources. These include classroom posters, lesson activities, short films and challenges - all designed to bring the real world of engineering into the classroom. Teenagers can explore the fascinating world of science and engineering with Flipside magazine, available free of charge in school libraries, and discover more about engineering careers. The IET's Education Fund provides grants of up to £5000 to local education projects and the Institution is proud to support its extensive range of Education Partners who all share its aim of encouraging more young people into the engineering and technology sector. www.theiet.org/
