Entain and McLaren F1 aim to help women return to STEM careers

Entain and McLaren F1 have partnered to create a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) returnership programme aimed at helping women who have taken a career break return to the sector.

The six-month programme will allow women to take part in work placements in roles such as software engineers, back-end developers and data scientists at either McLaren F1 or sports betting and interactive entertainment firm Entain.

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Entain CEO, said: “The fusion of technology, sport and entertainment, and desire to support talented women re-entering the workforce, meant that launching this new programme with our partner, McLaren, is an obvious step.

“We share a passion and commitment for giving women a platform to reignite their careers in STEM. We hope that, through this programme, we not only support a generation of ambitious women now, but inspire future generations of girls to land their dream STEM role.”

The UK’s technology sector has been suffering from a diversity issue for several years, including a lack of women and underrepresented groups in senior positions in the sector, women and young people choosing not to go into the sector, and young people leaving the sector because of bad culture.

With around 40% of F1 fans and 26% of sports bettors now being women, McLaren F1 and Entain are aiming to ensure the profile of those working in the sector reflects its customers.

The McLaren F1 and Entain returnership programme is aimed at women with prior qualifications, experience or passion in STEM, at least two years of previous experience in a professional setting, and at least three months of being unemployed.

Those who take part will also receive one-to-one coaching to help them return to work, the opportunity to network with senior executives at the firm, and the possibility of a continued role once the programme has finished.

Available placement roles include test engineer, data scientist, quant analyst, infrastructure engineer, systems engineer, software engineer, UX designer, business intelligence architect, backend developer, .net developer, technical analyst, manufacturing engineer and design engineer.

Participants will also be allowed flexible and hybrid working, especially since it has been highlighted remote working can make a positive impact on company culture and be beneficial for attracting and retaining underrepresented groups in the sector – this is just one of the programmes the two firms are running to increase the number of women working in the STEM sector globally.

Entain already runs EnTrain, aimed at increasing tech training and education whilst also improving STEM sector diversity, and Reboot@Ivy which it runs in its Hyderabad and Manila offices to help women return to tech careers.

Applications for the Entain x McLaren F1 returnership programme close on 31 January 2023, with the first cohort starting 22 May 2023 in London.

Elsewhere in Formula 1, charity from racing driver Lewis Hamilton, Mission 44, aims to increase the number of black STEM teachers in the UK, and the Hamilton Commission, also founded by the racing driver, was launched in 2019 to investigate and address the lack of diversity in UK motorsport.