NSC Engineering Students Visit the Williams F1 Team

Oswestry, United Kingdom, February 07, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Fourteen engineering and motor vehicle students from North Shropshire College’s (NSC) Walford Campus recently paid a visit to the headquarters and factory of the Williams Formula One Racing Team. The group had won the trip in a competition at the Association of Colleges Conference in November; the trip was hosted by Randstad Student Support which is part of the Randstad Group, sponsors of the Williams F1 Team.

The trip gave the students the opportunity to tour the Williams factory, including the advanced engineering section of the factory where prototypes and future technologies are developed. The students learnt how the Williams engineers apply their advanced knowledge to solve every day problems as well as incredibly advanced engineering problems. Students also had a chance encounter with Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal and daughter of Williams F1 Team founder, Sir Frank Williams.

Sadie Besley, Operations Director for Randstad Student Support commented, "This competition was all about inspiring innovation in students and giving them a glimpse into a potential career in engineering. F1 is the pinnacle of professional racing – and we want North Shropshire students to be at the top of their game. It was fantastic to see the students engage with the experience and fully embrace all the elements that create a successful F1 team. A practical and hands-on opportunity can give students the motivation to further their careers and something to aim for in the future. The skills picked up on the tour are highly applicable and will act as a real motivator for these budding engineers."

The students had the opportunity to speak with the team’s engineers, learning about their career paths and what had brought them to Williams. There was also the opportunity for students to find out more about future career prospects on offer at Williams and the sector as a whole, this revealed the wide range of professional options available to students and the versatility and variety of the engineering sector.

NSC Motor Vehicle Lecturer Derek Coffey commented, "It was a fantastic day out, I want to give thanks to Randstad for this brilliant visit. The students really enjoyed the visit, giving a real insight into what career choices and apprenticeships are available at advanced engineering firms such as Williams. It was also an absolute pleasure for me and the students to briefly meet Claire Williams."

As part of the experience, students had a go at beating the racing drivers on the BATAK reaction machine, the students unfortunately posted scores that were half those of a professional racing driver. The final visit was to the Williams Team museum to see the trophy collection and historic Williams vehicles. Williams have had many famous drivers since the late 1970’s, including Alan Jones from Australia; Keke Rosberg from Finland; Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jenson Button from the UK; France's Alain Prost; Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna from Brazil, and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve.

Walford open day is this Saturday (6th February) 10am to 2pm. Apply now for Motor Vehicle and Engineering at Walford via www.nsc.ac.uk. You can also contact the College Admissions Team on 01691 688080 or email admissions@nsc.ac.uk.