LONDON, June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
- A tech superhero, a real-life prodigy and four Shell
Eco-marathon students join forces to inspire the next generation of
innovators to #makethefuture
Today, Shell launched an online film fronted by British film
star Letitia Wright, to help change
perceptions about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
(STEM), and break down the barriers that stop young people, and in
particular, young women, pursuing careers in the sector. As part of
the #makethethefuture campaign the film documents the incredible
stories of four female engineering students from diverse
backgrounds, and their drive to become future STEM leaders.
The intake of women in technical fields in the UK is
significantly lower compared to the rest of Europe, with only 23% of the STEM workforce
female. One key factor for this is the lack of female role models
for young people to look up to. In 2018, Shell is inspiring
approximately 100,000 young people in the UK through its education
programmes, to showcase the potential of a career in STEM, and
highlight the importance of diversity to drive the ideas and
innovation needed to create more and cleaner energy.
The short film, titled Engineering Real-life Heroes,
brings together breakout star Letitia
Wright - whose recent on-screen characters have inspired a
world-wide movement of youngsters gaining interest in STEM, and
Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE - social entrepreneur, co-founder of
STEMettes, and the youngest ever girl to pass A-level computing at
11 years old. Together, they shine a light on the journeys of
four students preparing for this year's Shell Eco-marathon - a
global competition for students to design, build and drive
ultra-energy-efficient vehicles. Now in its 34th year,
the competition is another example of how Shell is encouraging
students to have fun with engineering and use what they learn in a
practical way. The current competition record stands at 3,771km/l,
which is equivalent to driving from London to Rome and back again on just one litre of
fuel.
Letitia Wright said: "I strongly
believe that you have to see something in order for you to
understand you can do it. That's why I'm thrilled that I got to
tell the stories of these incredibly talented young women, who are
real-life embodiments of what STEM really is about. It would mean a
lot to me if a girl could watch this film and think they too could
do what these young women do."
"The lack of diversity and gender parity in STEM threatens to
slow progress in the development of more and cleaner energy
solutions", said Sinead Lynch, Chair
of Shell UK. "That's why at Shell, we continuously seek to
encourage young people from all sorts of background to pursue
careers in science and engineering, and equip them with the skills
required to shape a lower-carbon future. We are committed to
supporting nine STEM programmes in the UK, focused on reaching
young people at a key time in their education and demonstrating the
possibilities that are open to them."
The Engineering Real-life Heroes video goes live today on
the Shell YouTube page, ahead of Make the Future Live, a free,
four-day festive of ideas and innovation featuring Shell
Eco-marathon. The festival takes place in Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park in London from 5-8 July, 2018. You can register for free tickets
at http://www.shell.co.uk/freetickets
To watch the full video and find out more about the #makethefuture
project, please visit http://www.shell.co.uk/engineeringheroes
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Click here to download press kit including images and
biographies.