Ford is focusing on electrification and incorporating new software and services into its vehicles, which demands new skills and engineering specializations. To support this, the company has established four major education outreach partnerships to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among young people.
Brumley, who joined Ford in 1992 and was previously director of powertrain and vehicle architecture engineering, based in China, said, “I’m delighted and proud to lead Ford Dunton’s continued role as the center of Transit engineering, which has developed electric Transit vans and Tourneo people carriers.
“Today, mechanical engineering graduates like me remain part of Ford product development recruits but are now among programmers and software specialists, data engineers and other skills required for future innovative Transits.”
As part of these efforts, Tatiana, a 21-year-old student from Imperial College London, took over Brumley’s role for a day to gain insights into product development engineering, specifically focusing on intelligent electric vehicles. These vehicles use data exchanged between the vehicle, operator and Ford to enhance functionality. Tatiana visited the FordLiive Centre to learn how vehicle data is analyzed to maximize productivity and ways to deepen data use.
Tatiana expressed her admiration for Ford’s customer-centric approach and its commitment to achieving autonomous vehicle feedback systems. She noted the visible dedication of Ford’s engineers and staff to this goal, which she felt reinforced the community spirit within the company.
Ford participated in Plan International UK’s Girls’ Takeover initiative for the second time in eight months, promoting STEM subjects to inspire future careers in the automotive industry. This initiative is part of Ford’s long-standing partnership with Greenpower, which includes events like the East Anglia 2024 Greenpower heat at Ford Dunton, where school teams raced electric cars they had built themselves.
Rose Caldwell, CEO at Plan International UK, said, “Tatiana’s takeover of Andrew’s high-level role in the engineering and automotive industry is an inspiring celebration of the incredible potential of girls. It’s fantastic to see Ford meaningfully engaging with young women and giving them space to have their voices heard. Male-dominated industries must continue to actively encourage girls and young women to pursue career paths in their sector.”
The company’s educational outreach includes collaborations with organizations such as Greenpower, Code First Girls, Primary Engineer and International Women in Engineering Day. These programs are part of Ford’s efforts to attract new skills and talent, supported by around 15 educational partnerships.
Research by Plan International has highlighted the barriers young women face in pursuing leadership roles in STEM. Nearly half of the 1,000 girls and young women surveyed did not believe a senior leadership position in STEM was attainable, and 39% felt they would not be taken seriously in such a career.
Last year, Ford UK’s managing director and human-centered design director roles were temporarily taken over by a 19-year-old and an 18-year-old, respectively. Their input was implemented in the Ford Transit Nugget camper van’s social campaign and in presentations at the Global Innovation Forum in London.
