Rolls-Royce Motor Cars supports local school with all-female STEAM workshops

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars continued its commitment to fostering the next generation of STEAM talent with a series of workshops at the local Davison CE High School for Girls.

The sessions were developed to inspire young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), while also showcasing real-world applications of maths in the workplace. The lessons, developed in collaboration with Mathematics Education Innovation (MEI), a charity which aims to improve maths education, were carefully mapped to the school curriculum and made relevant to luxury manufacturing.

The workshops were led by ex-Davison student and current Rolls-Royce apprentice, Fleur Macmillan. Fleur was supported by Jess Burcombe, an Intern and undergraduate from the University of Chichester, who provided first-hand insights into a STEAM career pathway.

Fleur shared some inspiring words with the young students at the school: “Encouraging more young women to enter STEAM careers is so important.

“When I was sitting in those same classrooms only a few years ago, I never would have believed this was possible for me. There are so many ways to grow within Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and I am so pleased that I made that decision to choose a career with so much opportunity.”

Davison CE High School for Girls is the only state school on the Sussex Coast providing education exclusively for girls. The school is known for its proactive approach to engaging with industry partners, including Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Headteacher, Chris Keating, said, “Being at the heart of our local community is really important to the students and staff of Davison CE High School for Girls.

“We want our students to make a positive contribution, and to see that they can be a genuine ‘force for good’. We feel really fortunate to have such a strong relationship with local employers such as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and we work together to ensure that our students understand what it takes to succeed in the world of work and what wonderfully diverse career options are out there for them.”

The workshops support Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ wider Future Talent Programme (Graduates, Apprentices and Internships), which seeks to increase diversity and inclusion within the company. It also forms part of the company’s broader engagement with local stakeholders, reinforcing its reputation as a leading employer within the community.

Mark Adams, Director of Human Resources, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, “By showing how important maths is within luxury manufacturing, we hope to inspire students to consider a future in the industry.

“In recent years, we have seen a welcome increase in female applicants for our Future Talent Programme, and activities like this are key to sustaining that progress.” The application window for the 2025 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Apprenticeship programme is open until 31 March 2025.

Applications are welcome from young people with a wide range of prior experience, interests and educational backgrounds. Most Apprenticeships will begin in August 2025, with opportunities available in a range of specialisms and at levels from NVQ Level 2 (two years, GCSE equivalent) to Level 6 (four years, equivalent to an undergraduate degree). Applications can be made online, with open roles available to view on the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars careers portal. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a true luxury house, creating the world’s most recognised, revered and desirable handcrafted Bespoke products for its international clientele.

There are over 2,500 people working at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex. This comprises both its global headquarters and Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence – the only place in the world where Rolls-Royce motor cars are designed, engineered and meticulously built by hand.

An independent study by the London School of Economics & Political Science confirms that since the company first launched at Goodwood in 2003, it has contributed more than £4 billion to the UK economy and adds more than £500 million in economic value every year. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and is a completely separate, unrelated company from Rolls-Royce plc, the manufacturer of aircraft engines and propulsion systems.