We recently opened the doors of the McLaren Technology Centre to the 60 aspiring female leaders from our 60 Scholars programme to celebrate its completion.

The initiative was designed to encourage and support the next generation of female leaders in STEM. Throughout the duration of the scheme, we’ve worked to deliver an enriching experience that opens their eyes to the many roles within motorsport, providing an exclusive series of masterclasses on many of the areas that are potentially available to them.

The programme is run in collaboration with Google, Cisco and Cadence, who provide further STEM opportunities and insight into their respective industries, ensuring the programme extends outside of the motorsport realm.

During the event at the MTC, we spoke with five of the 60 female scholars to get an insight into what the programme has been like for them, and to find out how successful it has been in its aim of forging an environment in which women in STEM fields can thrive.

So don’t just take our word for it, hear from the scholars themselves…

Why did you apply for the programme?

Aneesha: I've always had an interest in motorsports, but I had no knowledge of how to get into the industry because I’ve already graduated, and I came from a finance background. I didn’t have that technical expertise, but this programme fits me perfectly and gives me that little bit of a taste. It comes with the partners, Google, Cisco and Cadence, and I thought it was an amazing opportunity, which will also allow me to meet like-minded women.

Ioana: I applied for this programme because I really want to work in Formula 1 in the future, in the engineering sector. I thought that this would be an amazing experience for me to learn more about what I want to get into and what else I could get into if I were to enter this field.  

Nida: I applied for the McLaren 60 Scholars programme because I wanted to embark on a journey that would accelerate my career. I wanted to learn more about STEM, and not just motorsport engineering but other areas of STEM, such as software engineering, computer science, project management and lots of different areas, meeting lots of different people from different fields to bolster my expertise and improve my network.

Tanvi: I applied for this programme because I'm interested in McLaren as a team, and I'm reasonably interested in getting into motorsport. I heard about this opportunity through a friend, and I thought it was a really exciting opportunity to learn something more about the field of motorsports, especially from such an impressive team that has such an open mind for diversity and inclusion.

Samreen: I always knew that I wanted to work in motorsport, and I always had a passion for STEM and going into computer science. So, I knew this programme would be perfect for me, making lifelong connections and having someone help pave the way for me, so I know what to look forward to and what to look out for. It's been very helpful, and this programme is perfect for me.

What has been your favourite part of the programme?

Aneesha: My favourite part of the programme was meeting everyone, whether virtually or at the in-person event. Not just the other scholars but also the people that I was receiving these master classes and Q&A sessions from, and being surrounded by so many women. It’s crazy to think that there are so many people around me that I can leverage. I think we will be connected for many years in the future, and that is an amazing thing to come out of this.

Ioana: It's hard to say what my favourite part is because everything was integrated so perfectly into the programme that I can't choose a favourite. I particularly enjoyed the power hours, where we would talk with STEM ambassadors from McLaren. I also like how the Q&As were mixed with the masterclasses - everything linked in perfectly. I got a lot of new information that has really helped me so far.

Nida: My favourite part of the programme has been attending all of the technical masterclasses and hearing from representatives from McLaren Racing, Cisco, Cadence and Google. Hearing what people from these companies and female leaders do within their roles and within their companies has been an incredible experience, and I'm really fortunate to have benefited from it.

Ioana: I feel like this programme has helped me to secure my future aspirations. I knew that I wanted to work in F1 as an engineer, but now I know exactly what routes I can take, how I can work on my skills to achieve that, and any other paths that could be available to me if I wanted to change my mind. It's been amazing.

Nida: This programme has boosted my desire to continue studying and become a motorsport, race and performance engineer. It's something that I'm working towards. Currently, I'm working as a junior motorsport engineer with Evans GP in the GB4 Championship and as a junior motorsport engineer for DW Evans GT in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Championship, travelling out to different races. Having the opportunity to shadow and work with race teams within the UK and abroad has been the experience of a lifetime. Being part of a diverse and vibrant community such as the 60 Scholars programme has been an incredible experience, and it's amplified my ambition to accelerate my future in motorsport.

Tanvi: Previously, I didn't have a set goal for my aspirations for my future career. I recently finished a year of placement in a biotech company because I wasn't sure what engineering field I wanted to go into. This course has enlightened me about the possibility of going into Formula 1. I didn't really see it as something I could have achieved, but now I've seen that it is something I could get into, and I'd really like to strive for that in my future.

Samreen: This has made me 10 times more confident to apply for more internships and more work experience. I know what I need to look out for, and I know that I have the confidence. I also have the backup and connections to help me if I need help, and this programme has been very helpful with this. 

Would you recommend the programme to others? 

Aneesha: I would recommend the programme to anyone interested in motorsports, but also anyone interested in STEM. You can connect with so many different people with the same interests as you. There are so many different partners and so many different people from different backgrounds that you get to network with and learn from. I came into it thinking that I may not be as technical as everyone else and that it was going to be very engineering-focused, but they had non-technical areas as well, and people with a finance background and from project management. It was tailored to everyone's needs.

Ioana: Definitely. I would recommend it to others because it has got a lot of years of experience put into one well-organised programme where you can learn about any industry in F1, whether it's finance, engineering or logistics - anything you could want is here. To be in a programme where you can learn about all of that in bite-sized, well-informed pieces is pretty much amazing. I would recommend it to anyone.

Nida: I would absolutely recommend the McLaren Racing 60 Scholars programme to others. The programme offers people an experience like no other. You get to connect with 59 other like-minded women in STEM, not only within motorsport but within computer science, networking, and project management, within incredible and diverse areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts. You are able to broaden your understanding.

Tanvi: I've been truly supported by the hosts, and I've met so many like-minded people. It's been a really interesting opportunity to learn about my future possibilities.

Samreen: Definitely, definitely. It's been so helpful to make these connections and learn more about things I didn't even know existed in these different industries. If you're into motorsport or love STEM, this is the perfect programme for you.