McLaren invites students to see inside manufacturing at McLaren Technology Centre

A s part of a government campaign to inspire future generations of engineers, the McLaren Group welcomed a group of local teachers and students to the McLaren Technology Centre for a rare, behind the scenes glimpse into life as a McLaren engineer.

The tour was organized in conjunction with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills as part of the Government’s ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ campaign – an initiative aimed at encouraging young people to see engineering as an exciting and viable career choice, while also increasing awareness of the importance of a strong manufacturing base to the future of the UK economy.

Having walked down the ‘boulevard’ of historic race cars from McLaren’s illustrious past, students were allowed inside McLaren’s normally top secret wind tunnel and workshops where Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 race cars are developed and built.

Students were then treated to a presentation from one of McLaren’s young Vehicle Dynamics Test Engineers, Brad Fincham, who explained what inspired him to get into the industry and what life as a racing and automotive engineer entails. This was followed by McLaren Automotive’s Design Director, Frank Stephenson, who gave an insight into the design features on the highly-acclaimed MP4-12C high-performance sports car.

With a greater emphasis now being placed on re-balancing the economy and rebuilding the UK’s manufacturing sector, an enormous premium is being placed on highly-skilled engineers and technicians. However, the UK faces a potentially acute skills shortage as evidenced in a survey by the Engineering and Technology Board which found that 49% of 7 to 11-year-olds thought it would be ‘boring’ to be an engineer and only 12% of 11 to 16-year-olds claim to have any knowledge of what a career in engineering would be like.

Both government and industry agree that changing negative perceptions of manufacturing amongst young people is essential if the UK is to re-balance its economy, foster the next generation of talented engineers and generate growth in our economy through high-value exports.