Bentley launches diversity talent search

Bentley Motors is partnering with social mobility charity Speakers for Schools to deliver a range of virtual work experiences for over 500 young people.

The work experience opportunities, which are available to students across the UK with an interest in STEM topics, focus on a range of areas from engineering to digital.

The opportunities are being supported by colleagues from Bentley’s diversity and inclusion networks, as part of its Early Careers outreach programme which aims to encourage more girls and students from ethnic minorities to consider careers in the automotive industry.

During the most recent work experience session on digital skills, colleagues from Bentley challenged the students to design their ‘car of the future.’

Tom Russell, Bentley’s Early Careers manager, said: “The advantage of our virtual work experience programme is that although we are based in Crewe, Cheshire, with the help of Speakers for Schools, we’ve been able to extend opportunities to students from across the country. In our first session, we were able to share insights into automotive and careers at Bentley, with students as far away as Cumbria and Torquay.

“Early Careers outreach is a key part of our diversity and inclusion programme as we aim to highlight the huge range of opportunities within our sector to an increasingly wider range of people – with the goals of filling our future talent pipelines with more diverse candidates in the long-term.”

Jason Elsom, CEO of Speakers for Schools, said: “We are delighted to see top employers like Bentley Motors on board with Speakers for Schools and joining our mission to end educational inequality. We hope more employers join our virtual work experience programme and more schools sign up to broaden the horizons of young people across the UK.”