More than 12,000 young people from across the region will receive a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) boost this year thanks to a new partnership between Coventry Transport Museum and a leading local automotive supplier.

Brose UK, which manufactures window regulators and seat structures for international carmakers, has agreed to sponsor a new Learning Officer to work at the museum in a bid to engage with secondary school students.

The deal will see 800 more 12 to 16 year-olds take part in a host of educational activities every year, ranging from working on land speed record projects and recycling materials to make new machines, to a complex scheme that will bring together industry and academia to showcase how traditional processes have evolved into modern manufacturing.

It is part of Brose UK’s approach to developing the next generation of engineers and to help it hire 100 more staff over the next twelve months.

“We are very passionate about investing in skills and ensuring we get more young people interested in following a career in the automotive industry,” explained Juergen Zahl, Managing Director of Brose UK.

“Coventry was the centre of the automotive world for many years and we are slowly enjoying a renaissance, with significant investment in the car sector and a host of new technologies being developed by firms and Universities across the region.”

He continued: “The sponsorship met a number of our corporate social responsibility objectives and resonated highly with our apprenticeship and graduate programmes that we are expanding year-on-year. This is just the start; we are actively looking to get involved in activities and ensure our engineers and other employees use their skills to make a difference.”

Mel Ballam has been appointed by Coventry Transport Museum as the new Brose Learning Officer and is currently working with other members of the team to finalise a series of pilot sessions for primary and secondary schools starting next month.

These will help to shape the content of the full progamme that will support 12,000 young people every year through a series of special activities they take part in during their visits.

The initial projects include:

• Learning about the design of the thrust car used in the land speed record through the creation of a balloon/soda powder car
• Celebrating the great engineering minds of Coventry by coming up with a moving machine from recycled materials and then presenting it to other groups

Francis Ranford, Director of Learning and Engagement at Coventry Transport Museum, added her support:

“We are delighted to have one of the city’s fastest growing manufacturers on board, supporting our learning activities that aim to enthuse and inspire.

“Without their sponsorship we wouldn’t have been able to employ a dedicated Learning Officer and we now believe we can make a real impact in spreading the STEM message, especially to secondary school pupils.”

She concluded: “We are now looking for schools to come forward and share their intention to take part. Our facilities are world class and we now have the resource needed to make the most of them.”

Coventry Transport Museum houses the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles in the world, and tells the fascinating story of Coventry and its people through the rise, fall and ongoing rebirth of its biggest industry.

Now fully open after a £9.5m redevelopment programme, this huge museum offers a whole day out of fun and discovery for visitors of all ages – all in an iconic city-centre building and completely free.

Brose UK has been present in Coventry since 1989 and currently manufactures seat and door systems for Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo.

It has enjoyed significant growth in recent years and now employs nearly 1,000 people across its two plants, including the recently opened £34m addition to its facility in Colliery Lane.

For further information, please visit www.brose.com/coventry or www.transport-museum.com.