Komatsu staff take pole position

STEM ambassadors from one of the North East’s blue-chip companies are part of the “pit crew” preparing the next generation of engineers for a career in the fast line.

Kathryn Mullins and Jane Hodgson, engineers at Komatsu UK’s Birtley plant, are heading to Abu Dhabi having been selected as judges for the World Finals of the F1 in Schools competition. 

Komatsu UK, which manufactures a range of hydraulic excavators, has long been an advocate of nurturing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills and actively encourages its engineering staff to become STEM ambassadors.

Launched in 2006, Komatsu’s STEM Ambassadors are a team of employees from the Birtley plant who actively promote the key subjects to students, as well as attending and speaking at events for local schools, colleges and universities.

Design engineer Kathryn Mullins is one of Komatsu UK’s 22 STEM advocates. Kathryn is passionate about inspiring more young people and highlighting how these subject areas open so many doors with prospective employers. She was impressed by the enthusiasm shown by all at the event.

Kathryn said: “It is a real honour to be selected to be part of the international judging panel at this year’s World Finals. The standard at the national event was outstanding and we expect it to be even higher on the world stage.

“Komatsu is committed to the STEM agenda, with the skills learned helping people succeed in careers that fuel the regional and UK economies. It’s vital that we give young people the support they need to succeed, which is why we support projects like the F1 in Schools which place such importance on the STEM subjects.

“Working closely with local schools, colleges and training providers, the Ambassadors ensure that Komatsu UK does everything it can to future-proof our future skills pool and the F1 in Schools challenge is a great example of this.”

Kathryn was pleased with how many young females participated in the event and the increase year-on-year witnessed since she has been judging the competition.

“Over the last decade there has been a real drive to encourage more females to consider engineering roles and we’re really starting to see this bear fruit,” she added.

“We’ve seen more and more females enter the F1 in Schools competition and this year there were some absolutely outstanding performances, from mixed groups to all-female and all-male groups and this is testament to the work put in by the industry over recent years in encouraging diversity.”

Researching, designing, making and racing a miniature Formula 1 car is at the core of the F1 in Schools challenge, with the students producing a portfolio and pit display as well giving a business presentation showcasing their engineering design, research and development work to judges. 

Each car is also put to the test, racing head-to-head on the F1 in Schools 20-metre track.

Production engineer, Jane Hodgson, also a STEM Ambassador, added: “This is the seventh year we have supported this important event and every year it just gets better. It’s amazing to see how much time, effort and commitment the students put in and I can’t wait to see the standard at the World Finals – it is such an honour for me personally and Komatsu as my employer to be selected for the judging panel.

“Kathryn and I were delighted when we were asked to get involved. It’s a fantastic event and it’s a privilege to be able to give so much back to the industry which has given us so much throughout our careers.”

(L to R) Kathryn Mullins and Jane Hodgson, engineers at Komatsu UK’s Birtley plant