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Mulberry Schools Trust and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix host first Mulberry STEM Academy event for its 2021 scholars.

• First event for Mulberry STEM Academy took place on Saturday 27 February
• 40 successful scholars joined James Allison and Mercedes F1 team members for virtual event
• Careers talk provides a look inside the team and inspiration for future education choices

In November 2020, the Mulberry Schools Trust announced an innovative partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd and the creation of the Mulberry STEM Academy, a Saturday/holiday provision offering an inspirational programme in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) for students aged 7-18 within the Mulberry family of schools and beyond.

Launched by Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff through a virtual event from the team’s headquarters to students from Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, Mulberry School for Girls and Mulberry UTC, the Mulberry STEM Academy provides a specialised programme for young people who have talent, passion and aptitude in STEM subjects, providing them with extracurricular learning and inspirational experiences through vocational training, study and masterclasses.

 

 

Over 100 applications were received from students across the three schools for the 20 places available in Years 10 and 12. A rigorous selection process, with interviews conducted remotely adding to the challenge for the young students, resulted in the selection of the first cohort of STEM scholars to win a place on this year’s programme.

On Saturday 27 February, the first exciting event in this year’s programme was launched to provoke excitement, curiosity and a sense of community. The 40 successful STEM scholars, along with CEO, Dr Vanessa Ogden, joined the Mercedes F1 team through a virtual event for an inspirational Careers Talk with Technical Director James Allison, Chief People Officer Paul Mills and four of the team’s Graduates, who volunteered to be part of the stimulating STEM programme. Several former Mulberry Schools Trust students who are studying Science, Computer Science and Engineering at university also joined the event, alongside members of the Mulberry Schools Trust Board.

Designed to introduce the Mulberry students to the team and inspire them as they set out making decisions on their future education and careers, the groups heard from the team’s Graduates about their roles, how their education choices influenced their career paths, and what it is like to work for a World Championship winning Formula One team, taking the opportunity to ask many insightful questions.

The majority of students at the Mulberry Schools Trust are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic and disadvantaged backgrounds, groups which are very under-represented in skilled areas of STEM industries*. Mercedes F1 and Mulberry hope that the establishment of the Mulberry STEM Academy will give students the knowledge, skills, experiences and confidence to move forward into careers in engineering, design and science-based industries, and in turn become the role models of the future for their peers and younger students at the Mulberry Schools Trust.

 

 

Dr Vanessa Ogden, CEO of the Mulberry Schools Trust and Headteacher of Mulberry School for Girls continued:

“I am delighted with the success of our first event with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix. Our Mulberry STEM Academy scholars were thrilled to meet the employee graduates, who were all highly aspirational. Imaginations were sparked and ambitions raised, as our students listened to the different educational routes that can lead to a flourishing career in STEM. Our young people deserve the best and we know that exposure to high quality, stimulating events like this will propel them more quickly into exciting futures and desired destinations. We look forward to seeing our students grow in confidence as they progress through the programme over the coming months.”

 

Paul Mills, Chief People Officer at Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd concluded:

“The first event of our Mulberry STEM Academy programme has been eagerly anticipated and meeting this year’s cohort of students on Saturday was the moment that I most looked forward to since we created the concept last year. I am very grateful to the team at Mulberry who have worked so hard and with such determination, on top of the significant challenges faced by all schools over the past year, to enable us to reach this point so quickly; their efforts have been truly remarkable. Together, we have developed a uniquely exciting curriculum for our scholars, designed to ignite their passion for STEM and build confidence and aspirations for their future education and careers. Although we were not able to meet in person, the enthusiasm and ability of the group shone through, and we were also delighted to be joined by several former Mulberry Schools Trust students who are now studying STEM subjects at university, providing further insight and encouragement. On behalf of everyone at Mercedes F1, we are delighted to have begun our programme and look forward to welcoming and supporting the students over the course of this year. Thank you to all involved in the event from the teachers to the students, our team employees and the Mulberry Schools Trust board for their efforts.”

 

James Allison, Technical Director commented:

“I was honoured to be asked to take part in the first Mulberry STEM Academy event this weekend. Having heard from Toto and Lewis about the eagerness and inquisitive nature of the Mulberry students at the November launch, I was very interested to meet the group for myself and find out what has inspired them to dedicate their Saturdays and holidays to further study. I was not disappointed; the commitment and enthusiasm shown and the insightful questions asked, were inspirational. I have little doubt that all of the students we met on Saturday have bright futures ahead of them, but I hope that today’s presentation will have offered them further encouragement to go on to study STEM subjects at university. I look forward to seeing how the STEM Academy programme develops over the next few months and the progress that the students make as they work alongside and within our team.”

 

*Engineering UK 2018:
9% are of Black, Asian and minority ethnic background; 12% are women; 24% are from low socio-economic background

 

Download the full press release here

 

To keep up to date on all things related to the Mulberry STEM Academy visit the website:

www.mulberryschoolstrust.org/stemacademy

This year, Mulberry Schools Trust students were able to head off to excellent destinations within a full range of interesting and fulfilling fields, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the summer examinations in 2020.

The Trust has a history of sending students out from their schools successfully and into the wider world ready to make change – in public service, healthcare and medicine, law, engineering, the creative industries and education. We want Mulberry graduates to have happy lives with financial security and good job prospects and we work hard to ensure this happens.

Mulberry Schools Trust launches innovative new STEM provision in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

• Inspirational programme in science, technology, engineering and maths
• Providing the foundations for a lasting commitment between the two partners
• Virtual launch took place with Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff and 150 Mulberry students today

On Thursday 5th November, the Mulberry Schools Trust announced an innovative new partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd and the launch of the Mulberry STEM Academy – a Saturday/holiday provision that will provide a place of learning, inspiration and innovation for young people. It will be a powerful supplementary provision for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education and, working together with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd, it will offer a world-class programme of vocational training, specialised study and masterclasses for students aged 7-18 within the Mulberry family of schools and beyond.

To celebrate this significant occasion and to coincide with the partnership launch, Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd has arranged for Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff to join students from Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, Mulberry School for Girls and Mulberry UTC in a broadcast from the team’s headquarters in Brackley, Northamptonshire.

The provision will run on Saturdays during term time and school holidays for local young people who have talent, passion and aptitude in STEM, computing, physical science and design. It will offer a comprehensive and integrated curriculum, focusing on the long-term development, strength and needs of each student. Our students are bright, have a passion for STEM fields and will benefit from non-traditional teaching methods, such as industry specific and project-based learning to supplement and enhance the more mainstream teaching they receive in their classrooms and laboratories. Whilst schools within the Mulberry Schools Trust achieve well and currently have progress well above the national average in many areas, we recognise that our students do not routinely enter degree courses and apprenticeships in STEM compared to other science related pathways.

Toto Wolff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd commented:

“We are very proud today to announce our new partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust and to continue our journey towards making a positive contribution to the future engineers and scientists of the next generation. This is a deeply important project for us and the result of a great deal of thought into how best we might make a lasting contribution to promoting diversity and inclusion within our industry. I know myself and all our team are passionate about the success of this programme and we look forward to welcoming the first attendees of the Mulberry STEM Academy and exploring how we can best support their learning journey.

Providing practical workplace experience and access to opportunities will be key to breaking down the barriers these students face when aspiring to their future careers and we are proud to be part of a project which will set them on a path to strengthening the STEM capabilities of our industry in years to come. The Mulberry Schools Trust is a hugely impressive organisation that shares our core values and we are honoured to be working with them. If the passion, enthusiasm, respect and excellence that I witnessed today during our virtual event with students from the Mulberry Schools today is anything to go by, this is going to be a very exciting, rewarding and successful venture.”

Lewis Hamilton continued:

“I was honoured to join the virtual event today to launch the new STEM Academy and to see the enthusiasm, intelligence and commitment of the Mulberry students for myself. It’s so important that, as a sport, we do all that we can to ensure we are as inclusive as possible. Increasing young people’s access to STEM and, ultimately, paving the way to careers in our industry is a brilliant way to do this. Creating a sport that is more representative of society is something very personal and important to me, and this partnership shows a real commitment from Mercedes to build a legacy that goes beyond motorsport.

The STEM Academy is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference and I’m proud to work alongside my team, in partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust, to open doors for these students which might otherwise have been closed, and to give them the opportunity to excel. Providing young people from diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds with the confidence and resources to implement change in their own lives is one of the strongest tools that we have to build a fairer and more equal future. I’m looking forward to seeing how the students progress and, judging by the questions I received today, I have every faith we will see some of them fulfilling their dreams of working in motorsport in the future!”

Click here to read the full press release.

For the past fortnight, we have had to adjust to new ways of working in the Mulberry Schools Trust.

Read our Special Report providing you with news about three projects we set up, each designed to fulfil a different need in our school system right now in this period of national crisis. It shines a light on what Mulberry staff have been doing to respond – with the help of our trustees and the many ‘Friends of Mulberry’ who have generously supported us over time.

We hope you find the report informative and inspiring.

Click here to read the Special Report

The latest newsletters published by the Mulberry Schools Trust are now available. Issue #4 of Connect is packed with a round-up of news from all schools in the Mulberry family and our Community newsletter provides an update on our partnership work with families and the local community.

Access the publications below.

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