Strong networks are vital to building sustainable STEM careers – that’s one of the clear messages emerging from this year’s transformative 60 Scholars programme.

Launched in 2023 and named in honour of McLaren Racing’s 60th anniversary, 2024 sees McLaren Racing teaming up with Official Programme Partners Cisco, Deloitte and Google and Official Learning and Skills Partner Udemy to deliver an immersive six-week course that supports and inspires the next generation of female leaders in STEM.

Sixty successful students aged between 18 and 25 were selected for the programme, which includes mentorship sessions, panel discussions, skills workshops and hands-on racing experiences with inspiring figures from across McLaren Racing and its partner organisations.

Partnering to drive change

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) is a key pillar of our sustainability strategy, and we want to set the standard for diversity and inclusion in our sport. We know that our early careers pipeline is our best opportunity to encourage and empower more women and girls to pursue careers in motorsport in the future.

Our aim is for 40% of our people to come from underrepresented backgrounds by 2030, this includes women, as well as ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, neurodivergence, the LGBTQ+ community, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. We recognise that only true collaboration with our partners, other teams, rights holders and regulators will help us drive meaningful change across the industry.

Removing barriers

60 Scholars is officially underway for 2024, following an exciting launch event at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre, where scholars were introduced to the course and met representatives from McLaren Racing and our partners.

This year’s cohort come from a range of diverse backgrounds and are based all over the UK. While the course is held remotely through virtual immersions to ensure complete accessibility, the on-location elements give scholars a chance to meet in person, building a community of like-minded people that will support them in years to come.

By providing 60 young women with an opportunity to participate in the programme, we are actively working to redress gender disparities in both motorsports and STEM industries, which have been traditionally dominated by men.

Measuring personal progress

The course is centred around three key themes: community, knowledge and skills. These help to open up pathways to STEM careers, with each partner offering their unique skills and insights to the virtual immersions. 

As Official Programme Partners, Cisco, Deloitte and Google are working with McLaren Racing on a series of virtual immersions that equip scholars with practical skills as well as insights from inspiring figures they can look up to and learn from. Official Learning and Skills Partner Udemy provides participants with a bespoke platform featuring all course materials and additional learning opportunities. 

The first week of the course was designed to both kickstart community building and help scholars build a clear picture of what they can achieve. Central to this was a capability baseline assessment where participants self-reported on their confidence in their knowledge and skills. This allows them to measure progress over the six weeks and also helps cement the practice of self-assessment in their future careers.

Community and visibility

On the themes of community and visibility, scholars are recognising the importance of building networks that will strengthen and grow as they progress in STEM. Early sessions have highlighted the impact that greater visibility of inspiring female figures in a range of STEM careers, has on younger women with many scholars reporting that the programme is already opening their eyes to new industries and roles.

Few sports demonstrate the need for completely cohesive teamwork quite like motor racing, and the immersions have a clear underlying theme that fostering a sense of community and belonging is vital to nurturing sustainable careers for women in STEM.

Supporting the best and brightest

60 Scholars is about harnessing the brightest minds to support a better, more diverse future. We believe that our loyal fanbase, extensive network of partners, stakeholders and communities all play a crucial role in forging a more sustainable future. That is why we’re committed to using our platform as a force for good, and opening more pathways to careers in motorsport and technology.

The programme supports our aims of creating more accessible routes into the industry for underrepresented groups, and last year it saw a number of alumni applying and being offered engineering internships and graduate roles at McLaren Racing, with two scholars recruited into Extreme E’s Racing For All programme.

60 Scholars is an opportunity not only for young women to find their place in STEM, but for forward-thinking organisations to nurture and champion talent that will shape the future.