F1 in schools partners with  F1 in Schools is delighted to announce a collaboration with Williams Racing and its Principal Partner Komatsu for the launch of the Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy, a global initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of engineering talent. This prestigious programme will select promising STEM students and provide them with unmatched mentorship and support throughout their educational journey.
For 2025 the Academy will offer 10 high-potential STEM students a unique first step on the ladder towards an exciting career within the engineering and motorsport industries. By joining the Academy, students will gain invaluable experience and insights, benefiting from the combined expertise and resources of both Komatsu and Williams Racing. The Academy’s first group of students will be selected in collaboration with F1 in Schools, a leading non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting STEM education. Students aged 16 and above attending the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals in Saudi Arabia this November will be invited to apply for a place in the Academy assessment centre, where Williams and Komatsu will jointly narrow applicants down to the 10 lucky students who will form the first cohort. Those chosen for the Academy will have access to a range of benefits designed to support their growth and career development over multiple years including:
The Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy builds on the legacy of previous successful Williams academies and is part of the team’s long-standing commitment to opening up access to Formula 1. Three members of the last cohort, which was in 2019 due to the COVID pandemic, secured Industrial Placement opportunities at Williams, with two being offered graduate roles withing the Vehicle Design department upon completing their degrees in 2025. The Komatsu-Williams partnership now revives this successful programme with seven existing members being honoured and transitioned to the new Academy structure. Williams also runs a STEM education programme which will bring 5,000 schoolchildren to the team’s Grove HQ free of charge throughout 2024 to introduce them to the prospect of STEM careers through the lens of motorsport. Similarly, Komatsu invests in and contributes to STEM and technical programming around the world, with the goal of empowering students and supporting local communities. James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing: “I’m pleased that we’re launching the Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy because discovering and developing the brightest and best talent regardless of background is something I hold close to my heart. We have a duty and responsibility to invest in future generations and support them to succeed. I know how powerful that can be as someone who was given a chance at the start of my career. This Academy will help both Williams and Komatsu find the future talent that will form the bedrock of our organisations, and is another demonstration of the beliefs we both share.” Hiroyuki Ogawa, President and CEO, Komatsu Ltd.: “Komatsu’s commitment to developing future generations dates back more than 100 years, to our founding. As a global company of 64,000, with thousands of employees in engineering and technical roles, we believe it is our duty to foster new generations of talent to support the continued advancement of our industries. We are proud to collaborate with Williams Racing on this important initiative to support students’ advancement toward STEM careers and excited to see what the future holds.” Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman, F1 in Schools: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Williams Racing and Komatsu on the Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy. For over 24 years, F1 in Schools has been inspiring students through our global STEM challenge, and this partnership builds on our longstanding commitment to nurturing young talent. A decade after launching the first academy at the Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals in Abu Dhabi in 2014, we are proud to reignite this programme alongside Williams Racing and Komatsu. This initiative reflects our shared vision of making motorsport more inclusive and accessible, by breaking down barriers, fostering diverse talent, and driving social change. We are confident that the Academy will not only shape the future of motorsport but also empower young people across the globe to excel in STEM, motorsport, and beyond.” ENDS
0 Comments
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA TO HOST 
The event will open on November 24, with a prestigious ceremony and will be followed by three days of intense competition as young people aged 11-19 from across the globe compete to be crowned the F1 in Schools World Champions. Having succeeded in securing a place at the international stage of the challenge, following in-school, regional, and national competitions, the teams, made up of three to six students, will put their talents to the ultimate test by racing miniature F1 cars they have designed and manufactured to a comprehensive set of technical regulations using professional CAD and CFD software. They will also be assessed on their wider project work, which includes creating portfolios on Design & Engineering, Project Management, and Enterprise, as well as delivering verbal presentations to a panel of industry judges. As the event's title sponsor, this year's edition sees Aramco welcome F1 in Schools to its home country. The company is headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and has been a longstanding supporter of F1 in Schools following the signing of the sponsorship agreement in 2020. Commenting on the announcement of the event's location, Andrew Denford, Chairman and Founder of F1 in Schools, said: "We have worked with Aramco for a number of years now and they have been a fantastic partner of F1 in Schools and our mission to bring STEM education to students across the globe. This year's event will be a brilliant celebration of the hard work we have invested together, and we can't wait for the competition to begin in just a few months' time." The Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals is the latest global event to be announced as being hosted in Saudi Arabia, as the country continues to expand its calendar. “We are delighted to welcome the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals to Saudi Arabia. As proud supporters of the competition, it will be an honor to host these incredibly talented students in the Kingdom, and to share its outstanding beauty and attractions with them,” said Khalid Al-Zamil, Aramco Vice President of Public Affairs. “Together, we are working with this next generation of pioneers to engineer a brighter future, and there is no better way to celebrate our continued partnership than with a world-class event in our home country.”  Last year's Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals saw teams tackle a challenging new set of technical rules and regulations, including the introduction of a halo and driver, and these will return for 2024, along with the optional Nose Cone Challenge, which enabled students to demonstrate their design expertise by developing cars with removable and replaceable front ends. Ian Green, will head up the judging panel as [he/she] lends [his/her] extensive experience to assessing teams' performance in these areas.
“The Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals sets the standard for students in STEM, and we have no doubt that this year will once again do the same,” said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 CEO. “A competition like this plays a valuable role in finding the future faces of our sport. Formula 1 pays close attention to the fantastic designs and innovations of these engineers in the making, and we look forward to seeing what they unveil in Saudi Arabia this November.” ENDS For media enquiries, contact: Alison Hill, ID PR & Marketing [email protected] +44 (0) 7710 306588 About F1 in Schools F1 in Schools is a not-for-profit social enterprise aiming to promote the learning of STEM subjects. The global competition allows students aged 9-19 to participate in a multidisciplinary challenge where they must use professional CAD software to design, analyse, manufacture, test, and race miniature air powered F1 cars. Many students have gone on to have fruitful careers with F1 teams, founded on their success in F1 in Schools. F1 IN SCHOOLS RELEASES FIRST IMPACT  When F1® in Schools began in 2000, it had one simple aim - to bring engineering to life.
Since then, it has grown and developed and become more than we could have ever hoped. It has become something that creates opportunities, that levels playing fields, that enables dreams to be realised. It provides scholarships to world-leading universities, it secures work experience placements at phenomenal organisations, and it supplies free access to industry-leading software, to every student, everywhere. And it teaches more skills than ever before - from marketing and brand development to project management and financial planning - equipping young people for their next steps in life, whatever they may be. F1 in Schools still brings engineering to life, but it now does so much more, and with it, it makes an impact on thousands of students across the world every year. In our first-ever Impact Report, we’re recapping some of our highlights from 2023. Click the button to read. GUEST POST: F1 IN SCHOOLS X THE EARTH  Written by Erina Wan Zul, F1 in Schools alum and The Earth Prize youth board member. Dedicated to promoting sustainability and nurturing the next generation of innovators, The Earth Prize and F1® in Schools champion a transformative wave of environmental consciousness in STEM education among students worldwide. At the recent Aramco F1 in Schools 2023 World Finals in Singapore, the powerful partnership of these two initiatives illuminated the potential for young minds to drive significant change in sustainability and engineering. The Earth Prize: Empowering Environmental Leadership The Earth Prize is the first initiative of The Earth Foundation, which was founded as a Swiss nonprofit with the goal of taking the passion, enthusiasm and concern for the environment seen in today’s youth and helping to galvanise it into constructive action. The Earth Prize is a global $200,000 environmental sustainability competition for students between the ages of 13 and 19, which rewards the teams whose projects have the most potential to address environmental issues. CEO Angela McCarthy and Founder Peter McGarry spearhead this initiative, offering participants exclusive guidance and a chance to connect with esteemed global ambassadors to effect real change by designing their own environmental sustainability projects, products, organisations, or enterprises. The Earth Prize fuels a passion for practical sustainability solutions, inspiring a new generation of environmental leaders. Over the past two years, The Earth Prize competition has drawn thousands of students from over 1,500 schools in 144 nations and territories. The third edition of The Earth Prize launched in September 2023. Registration for The Earth Prize 2024 is open for students and teachers on The Earth Prize website until 30th November 2023. Click here to learn more.  F1 in Schools: Where STEM and Sustainability Unite Led by its visionary founder Andrew Denford, F1 in Schools is not just a STEM competition; it's a dynamic journey nurturing critical and creative thinking, marketing, and project management skills. This exhilarating challenge tasks students aged 9 to 19 with designing, manufacturing, and racing miniature compressed air-powered cars, encouraging them to embrace sustainability in their pursuits. F1 in Schools, in collaboration with The Earth Prize and Formula 1, instils a sustainable mindset early on, aligning with F1's commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Synergies for Change: The Earth Prize and F1 in Schools’ Shared Goals and Collaborative Endeavours for a Brighter Future Brought together by their commitment to sustainability, The Earth Prize and F1 in Schools share common goals that focus on environmental sustainability, empowering the youth, and promoting STEM education. They achieve this by forming strategic partnerships with industry leaders and incorporating sustainable practices into their competitions. This not only creates a worldwide influence but also instils a sense of environmental responsibility in the youth, moulding them into future eco-conscious leaders. Aramco F1 in Schools 2023 World Finals: Accelerating Sustainability Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, recently hosted the largest Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals to date. Amidst intense competition, 68 participating teams showcased their commitment to sustainable practices, exemplified by their innovative solutions to carbon-neutralise the event. A closer look at the students' innovative endeavours, coupled with expert perspectives on their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), paints a vivid picture of the impactful role F1 in Schools plays in nurturing environmentally conscious engineers and entrepreneurs.  Behind the Scenes: Memorable Insights from the Aramco F1 in Schools 2023 World Finals
During the event, I had the privilege of engaging with students from various teams worldwide, discussing their sustainability-driven projects and points of view. I also had the opportunity to share my experience as an alumnus of F1 in Schools and how the competition opened the door for me to become one of eight Youth Board members of the prestigious Earth Prize Youth Board and share more about the collaboration between The Earth Prize and F1 in Schools. Furthermore, I got to experience an exclusive pitlane walk with the participants, which provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the F1 teams’ garages, allowing us to learn about their shared commitment to a carbon-neutral future. Lastly, at the World Finals closing gala, I got to rub shoulders with the esteemed presence of industry figures like Pete Samara, Director of Innovation and Technology at F1, who presented the Sustainability Award powered by F1, giving me the opportunity to learn about how F1 in Schools supports the transformative potential of initiatives shaping a sustainable future for motorsport and beyond. Driving Toward a Sustainable Future: The Earth Prize, F1® in Schools, and F1’s Shared Vision Aligned with F1’s ambitious sustainability agenda, F1 in Schools serves as a catalyst for empowering the next generation of sustainability leaders. By nurturing talents and fostering a sustainable mindset among young innovators, these initiatives pave the way for a future where sustainability takes centre stage in every aspect of the racing industry. As The Earth Prize and F1 in Schools continue to fuel the passion for sustainability and STEM education, their collaborative efforts serve as beacons of hope, lighting the path for a future where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand, shaping a world that is not just eco-conscious but driven by the transformative power of young minds. ANSYS' GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP WITH F1 IN  Team Sonic Boom's car, designed using Ansys software.
Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) has entered into a partnership with F1 in Schools to provide CFD simulation solutions for participating student teams representing 57 countries. Ansys joins F1 in Schools global CAD partner Autodesk to extend an existing strategic partnership that connects students with real-world engineering tools throughout the competition. The introduction of Ansys CFD solutions will give student teams exposure to a valuable skillset while unlocking engineering insights that can lead to enhanced race car designs. "F1 in Schools remains committed to delivering exciting, challenging educational experiences through the appeal of Formula One to raise awareness around STEM, and create memorable experiences for students from around the world," said Andrew Denford, founder and chairman, F1 in Schools. "Our partnerships with Autodesk, and now Ansys, help students make valuable connections between the power of teamwork and cutting-edge tools to address engineering challenges—skills that will propel them forward in their studies and future professional lives." With access to Ansys CFD solutions through Ansys Discovery, students can quickly design and optimize their cars and gain real world experience at the same time. Several F1 student teams have worked previously with Ansys, including members of German team . Last season, Sonic Boom reached the global finals, and won a high-profile elimination event against the competition’s 16 fastest cars. “At a certain point during the design process, we realized we needed very accurate simulation to compete effectively, so we contacted Ansys,” said Florian Wolf, design engineer for Team Sonic Boom. “Ansys’ meshing capabilities provided us with positive results overall for our design and allowed us to gain great professional simulation experience. Simulation was our final optimization step and involved running many CFD iterations to secure a perfect result — which was designing the best cars we’ve ever made.” "We are proud to partner with F1 in Schools in fostering innovation, diversity, and skill development among the next generation of engineers" said Prith Banerjee, chief technology officer at Ansys. "This collaboration helps nurture future engineering leaders by leveling the playing field and creating gender-balanced and inclusive real-world learning opportunities for students around the world." |
The Challenge |
International |
|
'The F1 logo, FORMULA 1, F1, F1 IN SCHOOLS, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula 1 company. All rights reserved.'