On Sunday 30th April 2023, a group of young people taking part in the GTR apprentice training scheme entered in the Goodwood round of the Greenpower F24+ Race Series and won! The GTR team (named Team GTA – Team Global Technologies Apprentices) have designed, developed and manufactured their own winning electric powered racing car using the skills they have acquired through the GTR apprentice scheme.
Greenpower Education Trust is a UK based charity which gets young people enthusiastic about science and engineering by challenging them to design, build and race an electric car to Greenpower regulations. The Greenpower challenge uses the excitement of motorsport to inspire young people to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). More than 10,000 students take part each year, from primary school age through to university and beyond into industry apprentice schemes. Teams of students aged 9 to 25 from across the globe compete at Greenpower events in the UK and other countries including USA, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and China. The annual International Final takes place at venues such as the UK’s Silverstone National Circuit and Goodwood Motor Circuit.
GTR Composites, part of the GTR Group, in collaboration with Chichester College Group (CCG), has successfully trained over 170 trainees, graduates and Level 3 and 4 Apprentice Composite Technicians. The Company has been engaged in this activity since 2017 and sees their apprentice and trainee programme as essential in this rapidly growing area of advanced manufacturing, in order to provide the company with the skilled workforce of the future. The Greenpower project has provided an excellent and highly appropriate vehicle upon which to train the GTR apprentice scheme members.
Jeff Tinsley, Head of Training at GTR said: “Participation in the F24+ racing series gives our Level 3 and Level 4 apprentice students a great way to develop their practical composite and engineering skills, whilst also helping them to understand the requirements of running their own racing team from a business and administration perspective. I am very proud of their initial achievement, and we look forward to competing at this level throughout 2023.”
Ethan Brown, Apprentice and Team Driver said: “Being part of the GTA team and program has given me the opportunity to advance my composite knowledge and skills, whilst being involved in the national Greenpower F24+ racing league. Our performance and success at the Goodwood round surpassed all our expectations and I believe this is down to our solid racing set-up, dynamic car design, and our important decision making on the day. To be able to not only design and build the car but to also drive it has been a very exciting and amazing experience. I really look forward to helping to push this project forward and to competing at future events”.
Amelia Owens, Apprentice and Team Member said: “Being a GTA & GTR team member has given me the ability to work in the apprenticeship group cohesively as a team. It has also given me the opportunity to connect with each team member individually and take on our own tasks and responsibilities within the team. Our success for the F24+ with first place at the Greenpower event held at Goodwood is all due to our strong and diverse team, our application of composite knowledge and skills we have learnt and developed during our apprenticeship with GTR. Winning the F24+ was an achievement for the whole team and has made our team even more motivated to win our next upcoming race held at the Lotus test track, Norwich”.
