Rio Ferdinand Foundation partnership with RC Vision
RC Vision, the leading social venture promoting STEM education and diversity through radio control car racing, has announced a new partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, set-up by former Manchester United Rio Ferdinand, and the Grove Park Youth Club Building Preservation Trust (“GPYCBPT”). Together, we will deliver RC-based STEM engagement sessions for children aged 12-16 in Grove Park, South London, tackling the critical need for greater diversity and inclusion in STEM education. Informal learning with radio control cars is a great way to engage young people in STEM education and develop the skills and habits of mind needed for success in engineering and STEM careers. Andy Hyde, the founder of RC Vision, explains: “We exist to make a difference in the world of motorsports and STEM education. By promoting diversity and inclusion and providing engaging learning experiences, we’re helping to build a more equitable and sustainable future for all of us.”
Despite taking place outside the classroom, informal learning is vital in engaging young people in STEM, and RC Vision takes an equity-led approach to its activities. As a result, young people have agency over their participation and are more likely to be committed to the activity. In addition, it provides opportunities to foster social connectedness and build relationships with professionals from the STEM sector, such as race engineers. This, in turn, creates opportunities to raise awareness of and aspirations for career opportunities in STEM fields. The sense of agency and connectedness that informal learning fosters is critical in tackling inequity.
According to recent research, there are over 170,000 unfilled STEM roles within the UK alone, and a shortage of engineers is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Providing informal STEM learning opportunities with RC Vision can help close this skills gap and encourage more young people to pursue careers in these fields. Melissa Fordham, Training & Progression Manager at the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, shares our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM education. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with RC Vision and the Grove Park Youth Club Building Preservation Trust to provide young people in the area with access to these STEM learning opportunities,” says Fordham. “Through programmes like this, we can help to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve.”
Rob Clayton, Chair of the GPYCBPT, agrees. “We’re excited to be working with RC Vision and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to bring these engaging learning experiences to young people in our community,” says Clayton. “By nurturing engineering habits of mind and developing new skills, we can help to prepare the next generation of engineers and innovators.”
During the RC-based STEM engagement sessions, young people will learn how to drive and race RC cars, as well as how to set up and manage races and develop the performance of their cars. Developing these skills and habits of mind will prepare them better for success in engineering and other STEM fields. The announcement of RC Vision’s collaboration with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and the GPYCBPT comes hot on the heels of the organisation’s recent achievements in securing a public sector contract to deliver activities as part of the Healthy Active Food Fund, and grant-funded activities with the Great Western Railways Community Fund.
These milestones demonstrate RC Vision’s growing success in promoting STEM education and youth development through RC racing. As RC Vision continues to expand its activities and partnerships, there is an exciting future for the social venture and the young people in the community who will benefit from its programmes.
Source: RC Vision [rcvision.co.uk]
