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Students get revved up for F1 engineering
With the recent excitement over the Monaco triumph for Britain's 23-year-old Lewis Hamilton, a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) ‘expert class’ was timely for motorsport engineering students at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuits on Friday.
Offered as part of the LSC’s ‘From Competence to Excellence’ programme, the ‘Motorsport Engineering’ class, run at Silverstone Racing Circuits, offered 18 young engineers expert training sessions on the world famous F1 Grand Prix Circuit.
Oxford & Cherwell Valley College Performance Engineering Centre joined forces with Silverstone Grand Prix Circuits and Turweston Aerodrome to run a series of seven national expert class events in Motorsport Engineering.
The penultimate event took place on Friday 30 May at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuits where a team of budding engineers were tasked with preparing Van Diemen-built Formula 1st racing cars used to train budding Formula 1 drivers and diagnosing problems with the cars in the pit lanes. The day taught them how a race car is set up, communication skills with the driver and what is expected of them when working in a F1 pit garage.
Evers Pearce, Motorsport Development Manager at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College said: “We are training young people to work in Motorsport Engineering from Formula 1 teams to the companies making the parts for the winning cars, and the expert classes are the ideal way to teach them best practice.
“The all-day sessions have enabled learners to gain the experience of the work of a Race Technician, diagnosing and solving engineering problems live on the racing circuit. The days have been a full-on, eye-opening experience, and we have seen some real talent shining through. The trainees have a great future ahead of them.”
Two former Oxford & Cherwell Valley College students Chris Dymond, now a driver for Ascari, and Danny Hands, a driver for Historic Formula Fords tested the students work on the Silverstone circuit. They debriefed the learners on the car's performance on the track and suggested areas to consider changes and ways of rectifying problems.
17-year-old Michael Burge said of the experience: “Being able to put into practice what we learn in the workshops at the Performance Engineering Centre has been fantastic. I have especially enjoyed working in the pit garages on the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit where F1 cars run from. I have been offered an Apprenticeship with a race team and the expert class gives me a head start as I can show I have supported a vehicle on the track.”
Peter Ford from Silverstone Grand Prix Racing Circuits said: “It’s vital that motorsport businesses and colleges continue to join forces to help develop the high-level skills we need for the industry in the future. Silverstone believes very strongly in assisting and encouraging young people into motorsport, and here at the circuit we run an Education Centre specifically built to partner with schools nationwide.”
There are currently 240,000 Apprentices working in over 130,000 organisations in England alone, across 80 different sectors of industry. Apprenticeships are also increasingly being recognised and used as a pathway to university, often part time and with financial support from their employer whilst they continue to work.
Bob Walding, LSC’s Area Director for the Thames Valley said: “The LSC believes that this programme will help Apprentices and vocational learners to take their skills to world-class levels to move from being competent to excellent. The classes also allow trainers to develop better links with employers and really promote expert skills across a range of industries.”
The last Motorsport Engineering expert class event is due to take place at Turweston Aerodrome in two weeks time.
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Notes to editors:
For further information about expert classes please contact Gail Buckle or Kirsty Shaw at BOTTLE PR on 01865 882988 or go to www.fcte.co.uk
About ‘From Competence to Excellence’
Expert classes were held throughout the South East last week, to give the cream of the crop of this year’s Apprentices the chance to develop advanced skills.
Over 5,000 Apprentices have attended LSC expert classes throughout the South East in the past six months. They are designed to give the cream of the crop of this year’s Apprentices the chance to develop advanced skills.
The From Competence to Excellence programme is a stepping stone for participants, helping them move from learners to experts. With the UK WorldSkills event on the horizon, some of them may even become future entrants to the UK WorldSkills Event in London in October 2011.
From Competence to Excellence is funded by the LSC and supported by UK Skills. Deloitte MCS Limited has been appointed by the LSC to co-ordinate the delivery of the expert classes and to source the employers and training providers involved.
About Learning and Skills Council:
The LSC exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. It is responsible for ensuring the availability of high-quality education and training for everyone. It has a single goal: to improve the skills of England’s young people and adults to world class standards. Its vision is that young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce. The LSC works nationally, regionally and locally to deliver this ambition on behalf of learners and employers
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