Extreme E collaborates with EY Foundation to increase employability opportunities for young people

Over a two-week period in April, Extreme E supported the EY Foundation’s Sustainable Technology Futures programme, giving free-school-meal-eligible young people aged 16-18 the opportunity to develop skills and awareness of pathways into roles within sustainable technology environments.

Those involved took part in interactive employability skills workshops and gained paid work experience at the championship’s HQ in Hammersmith, London, which were designed to improve their business acumen.

A challenge was also set for the students to create a marketing campaign proposal, which centred on the championship’s ethos as a sport-for-purpose motorsport series with raising awareness of the climate crisis at its heart. Senior Extreme E staff played the role of ‘dragons’ judging the campaigns and projects of those young people who took part, as well as sharing details about their career journeys to date and their roles as part of the championship.

The championship’s involvement in the Sustainability Technology Futures initiative does not end there, with Extreme E providing mentors who will continue to meet programme participants monthly over a six-month period to help guide them with their next steps.

Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme E, said: “As a championship which is constantly looking ahead to the future, it was great to collaborate with the EY Foundation to support the next generation of talent coming through as a result of the Sustainability Technology Futures programme.

“The views and perspectives of young people looking to launch their careers cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to sustainability, technology, equality, diversity and inclusion. There were some fascinating discussions taking place regarding the direction of so many of these key pillars, and it was great to see plenty of ideas and talking points come to the fore during the programme.

“We’re really excited to be involved in the next stage of their career developments, and support the EY Foundation to create opportunities for young people in the sustainable technology industry.”

The EY Foundation is an independent UK charity, formed in 2014, who have supported over 20,000 young people who face significant barriers to employment.

With more than one in five young people in the UK – over two million – eligible for free school meals, and young people from low-income backgrounds being three times more likely to be unemployed by the age of 27, it’s more important than ever to be supporting young people into work.

Over the next decade, the EY Foundation aims to enable all young people on free school meals to have an employment and earnings potential that is equitable to other young people in the UK.

Lynne Peabody, CEO of EY Foundation, said: “Working with Extreme E to deliver our Sustainability Technology Futures programme has been such a brilliant experience. Together we have supported 17 young people from low-income backgrounds to develop their employability skills and gain paid work experience in an exciting and innovative organisation at the cutting edge of sustainable technology. I want to say a huge thank you to Extreme E and their volunteers who supported on the programme. It has been great to give young people the chance to witness first-hand the emerging job opportunities in such a fast-emerging sector of the economy.

“If we’re going to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges, like climate change, then we need diversity of thought and creativity. To do this we need to inspire the next generation of engineers and tech developers from all backgrounds. Our partnership with Extreme E is a great example of how we can do this.”

Extreme E:

Charlotte Sefton, Extreme E
E: charlotte@extreme-e.com / +44 7827 214807

Josh Bell, Extreme E     
E: joshb@extreme-e.com  / T: +44 7389 727703

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Extreme E:
Extreme E is a radical off-road racing series, founded by the same team behind Formula E, which showcases electric SUVs and futuristic technologies in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments.

This five-event global voyage utilises its sporting platform for the purpose of promoting electrification, environment and equality. The series’ goal is to highlight the impact of climate change in some of the world’s most endangered environments, promote the adoption of electric vehicles to pave the way for a lower carbon future, and provide a world-first gender-equal motorsport platform.

The first sport to ever be built out of a social purpose, Extreme E aims to minimise environmental impact while maximising awareness, racing in places that have already been damaged or affected by climate change or human interference and taking fans deep into the heart of the most pressing issues facing our planet’s future.

Not only that, but Extreme E is also helping the car industry to develop future-facing technology using racing as a platform for road innovation, which accelerates change ten-fold.

In 2025, Extreme E will transition into Extreme H – the world’s first hydrogen off-road racing series – and will be recognised as an FIA Championship from 2025, as we continue to be a pioneer in motorsport.

Season 4 Calendar: 

Saudi Arabia
17-18 February 2024
Europe, TBD
13-14 July 2024
Sardinia, Italy
14-15 September 2024
Sardinia, Italy
21-22 September 2024
USA
23-24 November 2024

About PIF
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is one of the largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds in the world. Since 2015, when the Board was reconstituted and oversight transferred to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, the Fund’s board of directors has been chaired by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund. PIF plays a leading role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation and diversification, as well as contributing to shaping the future of the global economy. Since 2017, PIF has established over 90 companies. PIF is building a diversified portfolio by entering into attractive and long-term investment opportunities in 13 strategic sectors in Saudi Arabia and globally.

www.pif.gov.sa

About Continental Tires: Founding Partner and Official Tire Partner
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation.

The tyres business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tyre manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and special-purpose vehicles as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the tyres business area includes services for the tyre trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tyres.

About LuisaViaRoma: Official Fashion Partner
Defined by the Financial Times as “a haven for directional fashion,” LUISAVIAROMA.COM is the top online luxury fashion destination with 5,000,000 visitors per month and worldwide shipping. With each new season, the website presents the collections of more than 600 established designers and young emerging talents.

About ENOWA: Official Green Hydrogen Partner
ENOWA is a world-class energy, water and hydrogen company founded in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. ENOWA produces and delivers clean and sustainable resources for industrial and commercial applications using a customer-centric smart and connected system, designed to be circular and takes advantage of NEOM's optimal solar and wind energy profile. ENOWA benefits from NEOM's greenfield site, which has no legacy infrastructure, to advance Energy, Water, and Hydrogen innovation.

ENOWA will act as a catalyst and incubator for developing new, sustainable energy and water businesses while creating a robust economic sector regionally. Through its commitment to renewable energy and efficient water management, ENOWA seeks to become a global reference for industry leaders and setting a benchmark for sustainable economic circular systems around the world.

For more information, please visit: enowa.neom.com

About Vodafone Business: Official Technology and Communication Partner
With expertise in connectivity, global scale and the leading IoT platform, Vodafone Business is a leading technology communications company helping organisations succeed in a digital world and keeping society connected. Vodafone’s purpose is to connect for a better future, enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society, and many of its solutions have sustainability and inclusivity embedded.

Unique in its scale as the largest pan-European and African technology communications company, Vodafone transforms the way we live and work through its innovation, technology, connectivity, platforms, products and services. Vodafone operates mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries, and partners with mobile networks in 52 more.  As of 31 December 2021, they had over 300m mobile customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers and over 22m TV customers.

This collaboration will see Vodafone Business leading innovations and capabilities such as 5G, MPN, IOT and MEC, integrated into Extreme E’s global operations and will include full involvement in the purpose- driven elements of the series, with special prominence on Extreme E’s Legacy Programmes and the Science Laboratory on board the St Helena. Through its IOT solutions, Vodafone Business is helping sustainability efforts, including agriculture, forestation and decarbonisation of energy grids.

Find out more on http://www.Vodafone.com/business  and follow Vodafone on its social media channels:

Twitter: @VodafoneGroup
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone

About EY: Official Sustainability Partner
EY is a global leader in assurance, consulting, strategy, transactions and tax services, and already plays a significant role in working with Extreme E. Originally announcing its collaboration with the championship back in 2020, EY came on board to help Extreme E achieve its commitment to minimising its overall footprint whilst creating a positive legacy.

Whilst Extreme E strives ‘to race without a trace’, the framework provided by EY has helped the series to minimize its environmental impact across each of its remote race locations. Both prior and post-racing impact assessments have supported Extreme E to strategically plan their actions within these areas.

EY and Extreme E will work closely together to promote the five pillars of Extreme E (or “Five Es”) through the adoption of ‘XE Talks’. These informative presentations, facilitated by Extreme E’s Scientific Committee, will shed light on the Five Es, showcasing the joint commitment of EY and Extreme E.

About Symbio: Official Hydrogen Fuel Cell Provider
Symbio is a leading technology and industrial partner for sustainable mobility pioneers. A front-runner in zero-emission hydrogen mobility, Symbio combines industrial leadership, breakthrough innovation, and entrepreneurial agility to create tailor-made solutions and support its clients in the deployment of their clean mobility roadmaps. Symbio designs and manufactures a wide range of StackPacks (pre-integrated and pre-validated fuel cell systems) that meet all power, durability, and autonomy needs of on-road and off-road hydrogen mobility. 

In 2023, Symbio inaugurated SymphonHy, the largest integrated fuel cells Gigafactory in Europe, with a capacity of 50,000 fuel cell systems per year. The Group ambitions to manufacture 200,000 StackPacks annually by 2030 to accelerate the deployment of clean mobility that is respectful of both the environment and health.

An equally-owned joint venture between Forvia, Michelin, and Stellantis, Symbio combines 30 years’ experience, and has a track record of more than 8 million kilometers driven by its solutions. To learn more, visit www.symbio.one.

About Kaizen Clean Energy: Official Clean Energy Technology Provider
Kaizen Clean Energy (KCE), a manufacturer of hydrogen generators, is developing integrated solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging, hydrogen fuelling, and distributed power for the grid and critical assets.

KCE offers its mobile microgrid to customers through an Energy as a Service contract, which eliminates large capital expenses and provides customers with the flexibility to scale with energy needs over time.

Kaizen Clean Energy will support ENOWA - NEOM’s energy, water, and hydrogen subsidiary and Green Hydrogen Power Partner to Extreme E - in delivering a pioneering hydrogen microgrid solution to the championship.

Find out more on: www.kaizencleanenergy.com.

About ALLCOT: Official Environmental Contribution Partner
Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, ALLCOT works together with communities, organizations, and governments worldwide in climate actions, to accelerate the transition to Net Zero.  ALLCOT develops Climate action through projects and solutions with triple impact: environmental, social, and economic; using four strategies:  

• Sustainability strategies: Innovative, comprehensive, and tailored solutions for businesses to reduce and compensate greenhouse gas emissions and measures the socio-economic co-benefits through the SDGs.
• Project development & implementation: Implementation of carbon projects in developing countries, rooted in community engagement, environmental stewardship, and economic viability, driven by integrity, equity, and transparency.
• Capacity building: Providing individuals and communities with practical skills and knowledge, possible to apply in their daily lives.
• Advocacy: Creating systemic change to work closely with policymakers and stakeholders to promote sustainable policies and practices at the local, national, and international levels.

Find out more on: www.allcot.com