Imagine and Discover STEM

Why STEM matters

STEM subjects don’t just power our products; they power the world

That’s why we’re committed to advancing STEM subjects among the scientists and engineers of tomorrow; from their first forays at three years old, to honing their ambitions at the age of 19.

Whether it’s via our annual Science Prize, our inspiring Work Experience opportunities, or any of the other initiatives and partnerships that are part of our STEM Education Outreach Programme, we’re forging exciting connections between STEM in the classroom and STEM in the wider world.

That could mean coming up with an idea for autonomous lifeboats, or learning about the science at play within everything from painting to cooking. Whatever the project, it’s about providing the same thrill that our engineers get from their everyday work, early on in life. To make sure we reach as many people as possible, we have over 1,400 STEM Ambassadors globally, with around 1,200 in the UK from all parts of the business. All of our graduates and apprentices also take part in year long community or education projects.

Find out more about our STEM target

25m

The number of tomorrow's pioneers we aim to inspire by 2030

10.31m

The number of people already reached, 41% of our target

The power of thought

Every one of our products is the result of careful scientific, technological and mathematical thinking - combined with a whole lot of engineering genius and a touch of artistry

Our partnerships

We’re not alone in recognising the importance of nurturing the next generation of STEM trailblazers. We partner with many different organisations to ensure our impact is as positive, diverse and wide-reaching as possible.

This is Engineering

We’re a principal partner in the This is Engineering campaign to change young peoples’ perceptions about engineering.

Aimed at 13-18 year olds, striking films feature a diverse range of young engineers who have followed what they love into an exciting and future-shaping career.

Engineers bring ideas to life, shape the future and make a difference. They work on some of the world’s biggest challenges across a broad range of areas, working in diverse teams to find solutions and develop new technologies.

You can find out more about the engineers shaping our future at www.thisisengineering.org.uk

Bloodhound LSR

The Bloodhound LSR Project and Education charity put the next generation of budding minds front and centre in achieving a goal as exciting as it is inspiring: aiming to set a new land speed record of over 800 mph. The project is helping to push boundaries and demonstrate pioneering new technologies. Many of the aspects of our land speed record car have required engineers to think in new ways and manufacturers to develop novel production and testing methods.

Find out more: www.bloodhoundlsr.com

We’re a main sponsor and provide technical support for the Eurojet EJ200 engine, helping to (literally) speed things along. We’re also proud ambassadors of the project’s education charity.

The Bloodhound Education charity brings the engineering & technology to life through on line resources, classroom experiences and through the Education centre, which we support.

www.bloodhoundeducation.com

Teach First

As a gold sponsor of the education charity Teach First, we’re committed to ensuring that future STEM stars are guided by the highest quality teachers out there, ensuring that no child’s success is limited by their background.

Find out more about Teach First

Engineering UK

We’ve partnered with Engineering UK, to ensure that future generations are aware of and excited by the vital role that engineers play.

We actively support their two key programmes, The Big Bang Fair and Tomorrow’s Engineers.

Find out more about Engineering UK

The Scout Association

We've been working with The Scout Association for more than a decade – and have engaged hundreds of thousands of young people through activities that explore the science that makes our world work.

We’re proud to be supporting the Scouting programme to help young people develop skills for life by showing them what STEM can do.

Girlguiding

We’re working with Girlguiding to ensure girls and young women know that STEM careers are as much for them as for boys.

By supporting their Innovate Skills Builder, we are leading Girl Guides of all ages through a 6 staged series of activities focusing on STEM and creative skills. Currently just 12 per cent of engineering jobs in the UK are filled by women and we’re committed to addressing that imbalance.

Find out more about Girlguiding

Project Enthuse

We're proud to be a part of Project Enthuse, an initiative that both develops and celebrates the best STEM subject teaching in the UK.

It does this across wide-ranging but complementary areas, including partnerships and bursaries for individual schools, academic placements and annual award events.

Find out more about Project Enthuse

Our education programmes in action

Ways to get involved

National programmes

Every year schools from across the UK enter the Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science & Technology (formerly the Rolls-Royce Science Prize)- an award that celebrates excellence in STEM teaching and learning, supporting continuous professional development.

We also take a year-round approach to our involvement with schools. Over 300 employees currently act as school governors with the chance to take advantage of our Rolls-Royce School Governors’ Fund. There are around 1,400 STEM Ambassadors in Rolls-Royce, who undertake regular hands-on STEM activities in schools.

School workshops

school workshops

Our Rolls-Royce STEM Ambassadors regularly visit schools near our major sites in Derby and Bristol. There, we run hands-on STEM activities, including workshops and local projects.

For example, our High-Flyers workshop is a 2.5 hour interactive session for primary school pupils that uses drama, music and rhythm to take them on a journey filled with engineering-related excitement. There are also opportunities for older pupils to learn about Rolls-Royce careers and meet early career role models from our apprentice, intern and graduate populations.

The Big Bang Fair

The Big Bang Fair is the largest annual celebration of STEM subjects for young people in the UK - each year over 80,000 students aged 7-19 attend the event at the NEC in Birmingham

Organised by our friends at Engineering UK, we’re proud to offer tomorrow’s brightest minds a glimpse of the exciting STEM-related working world beyond the classroom.

Find out more about the Big Bang Fair

Cub & Scout Scientist Activity Badges

Cub scouts

We’re long-standing partners with The Scout Association in the UK to help equip young people with the STEM skills they need to thrive in the future - both in a business such as ours and the wider world.

We encourage Cub Scouts (8 to 10 year olds) to take part in science activities which are as fun as they are educational to earn their Cub Scientist Badge, developing curiosity and fascination for how things work. Older Scouts (10 to 14 year olds) are given the opportunity to investigate the science in a scouting activity (such as campfires) and communicate this to their peers in order to achieve the Scout Scientist Badge.

You’ll find the STEM resources we’ve created for Cubs and Scouts on The Scout Association’s website.

Girlguiding Innovate Skills Builder

brownies

We work with Girlguiding UK to support the Innovate Skills Builder. Throughout their Guiding journey, girls and young women can gain a series of 6 staged Innovate badges by completing a range of activities designed to encourage investigative and creative skills, and help 5-18 year olds to explore STEM.

Our aim is to improve the gender imbalance in the UK's engineering & technology workforce by igniting a passion for STEM subjects early on in a girl's life, and helping her to see an exciting and fulfilling future career in the STEM field.

Girlguiding website

Father’s Day

We asked our colleagues’ children if they know what their dads do at work

Play

STEM Resources

Benefits of electric flight

New STEM Resources

Electric power and propulsion have the potential to revolutionise aviation. At Rolls-Royce electric flight is an essential milestone on the road to a low-carbon, low emission future. And with electric propulsion systems, new ways of air transport become possible.

How electric propulsion works

New STEM Resources

Electric power and propulsion systems enable more efficient, cleaner and quieter aviation. At Rolls-Royce, electric flight is an essential milestone on the road to a Net Zero future. This video will give you basic technical insights into understanding the different components and subsystems.

Useful links & activities for 7-11 year olds

Activities for 7 to 11 year olds

We produce a whole host of STEM-related activity packs for inquisitive young minds eager to learn more and have fun in the process.

Whether that means investigating the impact of air resistance on a race around the playground or helping children understand that food is actually a type of fuel, these easy to initiate activity packs are great for use both in and out of the classroom.

See our Spirit of Innovation page.

Agents of STEM activity

Download a postcard with QR codes for our free interactive engine apps

Download the Rolls-Royce colouring booklet

* there are four apps linked to our products: Trent XWB, Trent 1000 & UltraFan engines and our Gas turbine technology app

Worksheets:

Air resistance investigation

Air resistance investigation answers

Balloon buggy investigation

Balloon buggy investigation answers

Balloon rocket investigation

Balloon rocket investigation answers

Food as fuel

Food as fuel answers

Forces and air resistance

Forces and air resistance answers

Fuels

Fuels answers

Turbine windmill investigation

Turbine windmill investigation answers

Interactive games:

Useful links & interactive resources for 12-19 year olds

Interactive resources for 12 to 19 year olds

We want to give every young person who shows an interest in STEM subjects the chance to explore those interests in an educational way that’s also stimulating, fun and inspiring

Our interactive resources allow older children and teenagers to get an in-depth, fascinating look inside the world of Rolls-Royce.

Agents of STEM activity

QR code links to product apps postcard

Find out about our Trent engine family

Build your own 3D Trent engine

Download the How a Jet Engine Works poster

Download the Rolls-Royce colouring booklet

Interactive games:

Electrifying Flight

Rolls-Royce is leading a highly specialised challenge to build the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft. Our zero-emission ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft is expected to make a run for the record books with a target speed of 300+ MPH later this year. Here’s an info sheet and poster with more details about the great innovation in our record-breaking aircraft. There’s also a helmet design activity template - earlier this year we ran a very successful competition for children to design Phill’s helmet. You can use this template to draw your own design that represents the future of electric flight.

Mission Low Emission game age 7-12

Play the game and learn about hybrid trains, electric aircraft and nuclear submarines.

Mission Low Emission game age 12+

Play the game and learn about hybrid trains, electric aircraft and nuclear submarines.

Rolls-Royce STEM Stories

Electrifying future engineers

Our test pilot Phill O’Dell and our judging panel have chosen the winners of our competition to design Phill’s helmet for the all-electric world record attempt!
Rolls-Royce is developing an all-electric plane that will be aiming for the record books with a target speed of 300+ MPH (480+ KMH). Inspiring tomorrow’s scientists and engineers is a key aim of the ACCEL programme – short for “Accelerating the Electrification of Flight” – which is behind the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft. To help achieve this, we launched a competition to design Phill’s helmet that he will be wearing throughout flight-testing and for that all-important world-record attempt. We were delighted to receive nearly 600 entries and it was really difficult to choose the winners from the fantastic entries we received, but we have now reached a decision!

Find out who are our winners, runners-up and who deserved a special mention

Discover Rolls-Royce

Unlock your brilliance at every opportunity

The power of thought

Inspiring the next generation through the power of STEM

Why STEM matters

The power of thought