Star Academies relaunches Future Engineers Academy in England with Mercedes and Driven By Us

STEM and motorsport program returns to schools in England, expanding hands-on engineering challenges and national competition opportunities.

Star Academies in England has relaunched its Future Engineers Academy in partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, with Driven By Us continuing as a delivery partner alongside Motivez.

The program returns to schools in Birmingham following engagement with more than 1,300 students last year.

The UK-based initiative combines STEM education with hands-on motorsport activities, including sustainable car design, kart building, LEGO engineering challenges, and opportunities for students to present ideas to engineers at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS factory in Brackley, Northamptonshire. Organizers say the program is focused on raising aspirations and widening participation among young people traditionally underrepresented in engineering and motorsport across England.

On LinkedIn, Driven By Us said it was “excited to be back at Star Academies for the Future Engineers Academy, delivered in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, with Driven By Us continuing as delivery partners alongside Motivez.” The organization added that last year’s program “engaged over 1,300 pupils, delivering hands-on STEM experiences that challenged stereotypes and sparked ambition.”

Expanding scope across English schools

This year’s academy will introduce additional engineering and coding activities, a national kart build competition, and a new “Sustainable Star” challenge focused on motorsport sustainability. An end-of-year celebration recognizing student achievement is also planned.

Driven By Us stated on LinkedIn that the expanded program will include “More building, coding and creating,” “A national kart build competition,” and “The introduction of Sustainable Star, a motorsport-focused sustainability challenge.”

Through workshops, mentoring, and direct access to industry professionals, the program aims to provide exposure to engineering and technology pathways at an early stage within English secondary schools.

Industry and education collaboration in the UK

Star Academies operates a network of primary and secondary schools across England and positions itself as a values-based multi-academy trust focused on social mobility. The Future Engineers Academy aligns with its broader emphasis on raising aspirations in areas of social and economic deprivation.

Driven By Us, a UK-founded community-led organization working nationally and internationally, highlights the lack of diversity within motorsport and states that fewer than one percent of motorsport employees are Black and less than ten percent are women. Its programming focuses on mentorship, skills development, and access to STEM and media career pathways.

By combining school networks in England, corporate industry access, and community-driven outreach, the Future Engineers Academy reflects a wider trend in UK EdTech and STEM engagement initiatives: partnerships that blend industry credibility with inclusion objectives.

As engineering, technology, and AI-related careers continue to grow in the UK economy, the emphasis is increasingly on early exposure and sustained mentoring rather than one-off outreach events. The next measure of success will be whether participation translates into long-term subject uptake and career progression within STEM pathways.

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