McLaren Automotive to hold talk at UCM

A team from supercar manufacturer McLaren will be visiting University College Isle of Man (UCM) to give young people aged 14+ the opportunity to learn more about engineering careers in the automotive industry.

Robert Yates, Ella Podmore MBE and Beth Elliot will be visiting UCM on February 5 to deliver an inspiring presentation about the automotive industry and their careers in engineering.

The team will be accompanied by a McLaren Artura which will be available to walkaround, as well as the opportunity to meet with local industry experts.

The event has been planned to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week.

Anyone aged 14+ who is currently in education has the opportunity to attend the event.

McLaren team

Robert is a Body Engineering Project Manager at McLaren Automotive who originally hails from the Isle of Man.

Having completed his secondary education at St Ninian’s High School, Robert completed a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Automotive Engineering at Huddersfield University before working for car brand Vauxhall.

Having worked for McLaren since 2012, Robert is passionate about cars and is proud to work for a company which makes some of the most exciting and technologically advanced supercars in the world. 

Ella, who is a Senior Materials engineer at McLaren Automotive, has been at the company for nearly 6 years, and has a Masters of Materials Engineering at University of Manchester.

She has won IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2020, been named Surrey’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2022 and more recently received an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours List for contributions to engineering, innovation and diversity.

On top of her usual duties Ella is an advocate for women in engineering and frequently talks to students about the career opportunities in STEM.

Her aim is to inspire the next generation to make an impact whilst showcasing that science and engineering is for everyone.

Beth is a Graduate Engineer at McLaren Automotive in the powertrain department.

She studied General Engineering (Mechanical) at the University of Sheffield for 5 years, finishing with a Masters.

This included a year in industry at Parker Hannifin Ltd as a design engineer, helping to design new products, make prototypes, and test parts in the laboratory. 

She joined the Graduate Scheme at McLaren Automotive straight from University, and has been with the company for more than a year.

School visits

During the week Robert, Ella and Beth will be visiting St Ninian’s, Ballakermeen and QEII to speak to pupils about careers in engineering.

Pupils at other schools or who haven’t had chance to get involved but are considering engineering are encouraged to sign up for the event. 

There is a limit of 40 free tickets for this event, on a first-come-first basis.

For more information and to register for the event visit: www.ucm.ac.im/mclaren