AFBE-UK and Mission 44’s programme to inspire young people into STEM careers

AFBE-UK and Mission 44's programme to inspire young people into STEM careers

WORDS

AFBE-UK

Published

4 Mar 2025

Over the past two years, we’ve been working with AFBE-UK to inspire students from underrepresented backgrounds into the UK’s future STEM and motorsport careers. In this article, Co-Founders Nike and Ollie Folayan, and programme leads Thomas Johnstone and Maia Rowe-Sampson, reflect on the success of the two Mission 44 funded initiatives in Edinburgh and Birmingham.

Association for Black & Minority Ethnic Engineers

AFBE-UK was founded in 2007 to create more role models from ethnic minority backgrounds in the engineering sector. We recognised a mentoring gap, impacting both young talent and seasoned professionals navigating workplace challenges. Our mission is focused on three key areas: attracting talent to STEM careers, fostering retention, and empowering career progression.

With a nationwide membership of 2,500, we initially concentrated our efforts in London and Aberdeen, but always envisioned community hubs across the country. Our partnership with Mission 44 has enabled us to do this, creating two activity hubs in Edinburgh and Birmingham, reaching schools in areas with low indices of multiple deprivation and creating tangible impact. More than 200 talented students have been reached in both hubs, with 40% of those students being girls, and 50% coming from an ethnic minority background.

We are incredibly proud of this work, in partnership with Mission 44, to ignite the dreams of young people and realise our vision of a world where STEM careers are accessible to all.

Edinburgh Ignite programme

The Edinburgh Ignite programme began in 2023, led by Thomas Johnstone, with 30 pupils. This lay the foundation for the programme to evolve into an initiative opening doors for young people into STEM and motorsport.

In 2024 the programme expanded to two more high schools in the region, reaching a total of 55 pupils. This expansion ensured more minds were reached, and as word spread across schools in the area, the programme became so popular that a waiting list to join had to be created!

Some highlights from the past two years in Edinburgh include:

Pupils touring the Graham Brunton Racing team garage at Knockhill Racing Circuit, witnessing race cars in action, and learning about managing a team in a series that is often the first step into formula-style racing. For many, it was their first time at a racetrack, transforming classroom learning into a tangible, unforgettable experience.
Pupils collaborating with professionals from the E1 Series to design liveries for their own team, while exploring the electrification of the maritime industry.
Getting as close as possible to driving a real Formula 1 car, through sim racing. This highlighted how technology can be used to train not only drivers, but also the engineers.

It has been incredible to see the pupils grow from being shy to fully embracing the sessions and asking about what is next. Hearing remarks throughout such as “I think I can do science now”, and the students’ keenness to network with the guest speakers has underscored the programme’s impact. Much like a motorsport team, we seek to continually evolve the programme, paving the way for future successes in STEM and motorsport.

Birmingham Ignite programme

The Birmingham Ignite programme, led by Maia Rowe-Sampson, began in 2024 with 60 students from two local schools. Both schools have a high number of pupil premium and English as a second language pupils.

Highlights from the 10-week programme include:

A whole cohort trip to the F1 Arcade to race on the high-tech simulators. Students raced against each other with coaching from our expert volunteers. They were very engaged in the activity, and it gave them a good understanding of the physics behind racing.
Visiting Formula Student teams at University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University to understand the many roles within a race team and meet tangible role models.
A trip to the Aston Martin F1 factory, where students had a tour of the building and were able to meet aspirational F1 engineers. They got to ask questions to some of the best engineers in the sport.

Throughout the development of the programme, we have also been building AFBE-UK’s presence in Birmingham by engaging with students and STEM industry professionals, and providing networking events for the community to come together. This presence has allowed us to strengthen ties with local corporate partners and universities, ensuring that we are able to grow sustainably in the region, and ultimately inspire even more young people from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM careers.

If you represent a school that is interested in learning more about the Ignite programme, please contact thomas.johnstone@afbe.org.uk (Scotland) or maia.rowe-sampson@afbe.org.uk (England).

Nike and Ollie Folayan, Thomas Johnstone and Maia Rowe-Sampson,
AFBE-UK