Diversity & Inclusion in Motorsport
The Blair Project is a trailblazing social enterprise based in Manchester which taps into the climate change activism of urban youth, by providing opportunities for them to participate in the green tech revolution through building, racing and accelerating innovations in electric go karts. We are the only organisation in the UK doing this.
Founded in 2014, The Blair Project is the story of two Black teenagers Nile and Blair Henry, who set out to challenge the elitism of motorsport and make the sport greener, more affordable, accessible and inclusive for everyone. The inspirational brothers had to overcome tremendous barriers and disappointments along the way. It taught them to be resilient, resourceful and persistent
Our mission is to empower underrepresented young people to become the army of innovators, technicians and engineers needed to drive rapid technological advances in low carbon technologies to save the planet.
We believe fundamentally that the world is made stronger and more powerful through the lens of diversity!
Through our ProtoEV STEM Challenge, youth teams (13 -19) learn how to convert used petrol go karts into adrenaline-pumping e-karts, which they get to test, race and experiment with advanced technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, and graphene battery technologies to improve vehicle performance, efficiency and range. The retrofitting of petrol and diesel vehicles using renewable energy technologies will be critical for reducing global carbon emissions by 2040 – or sooner!
Working alongside industry partners working at the cutting edge of innovations, ProtoEV also leverages the world class research expertise of our North West universities to create smooth pathways for participants to progress into apprenticeships, jobs or further or higher education.
In the first initiative of its kind, we’ve teamed up with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Fuel Cell Innovation Centre as part of their HySchool programme to incorporate hydrogen fuel cell education into our vocational skills training programmes.
Manchester Innovation Activities Hub
The Blair Project and its partners Manchester Science Park and Bruntwood have been awarded £4 million of central government funding to create a new Innovation Activities Hub in Manchester (MIAH) to provide rapid upskilling, reskilling and retraining of local residents and fast track them into hard-to-fill occupations requiring specialist technical skills as part of Greater Manchesters’ post COVID recovery plan. https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/news/shovel-ready-greater-manchester-building-projects-boosted-by-54m-of-government-funding/
The Blair Project, which runs and operates the MIAH Centre aims to create hundreds of job opportunities for young people aged 16-24 who are eligible for the UK Government’s Kickstarter Scheme.
FUTURE STEM WORKFORCE
Our mission is to use the power of hydrogen karting to engage, enthuse and inspire more young people to pursue careers as technicians, engineers, scientists and innovators in green technologies so we can accelerate the pace of change. Diversity in STEM is one of our highest priorities.
We believe in the power and importance of clean transport to reduce the impact of climate change. We have a shared responsibility to our planet and each other to speed up the shift to low carbon technologies. That’s why we’re collaborating with international partners in China and the USA as part of a new bold global remit to play our part in leading the world to zero carbon.
SPONSOR A PROTOEV TEAM
If you’re a like minded company, organisation or change maker who is passionate about decarbonisation as well as developing a diverse pipeline of talent for emerging technologies, we welcome you to get involved.
PROJECTS
What We Do
MIAH Centre
An employer driven, demand led, Industry 4.0 technical and vocational training to build skills that land people good quality jobs post COVID.
ProtoEV Challenge
We challenge schools and colleges to turn used petrol go-karts into high powered electric racing vehicles – and have FUN doing it.
ProtoEV EdTech
Consultancy
– Nile Henry, Chief Executive Officer
Turbo Charging Aspirations, Attainment And Achievement
%
3D Printing
%
Skills Training
%
EdTech
%
Innovation
Bridging The Skills Gap
New Recruits Needed Per Year
Shortfall Per Year
A Leader In The Industry
The Team
Nile Henry
Chief Executive Officer
STEM Ambassador
Inspirational founder and CEO – the young man with the vision!
Member of the Manchester Climate Change Youth Board, and sits on the Social Enterprise Advisory Group that advises the metro Mayor Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership.
Dr Marilyn Comrie OBE
Director Of Business Development
STEM Ambassador
Award-winning serial entrepreneur, international trade & innovation specialist working in the area of advanced manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and zero emission vehicle technologies.
Blair Henry
Motorsport Manager
Former kart racer turned test driver, assisting the R&D and engineering team with e-kart development and set up.
Anthony Mason
Director
Lisa Maynard Atem
Director
An accomplished Social Media Strategist that has worked for luxury brands including CHANEL, Louis Vuitton and GUCCI gained at London’s most famous department store, Harrods.
Celeste Murgor
International Business Assistant
Second year International Business student at the University of Salford, Celeste is developing our export strategy for our global expansion.
Rosalie Benjamin
STEM Education Resources Developer
Rosalie is a recent graduate of BSc Aviation Technology with Pilot Studies from the University of Salford and creates our STEM activities such as our ProtoEV STEM Challenge.
Helen Bashford Malkie
Chairman of ProtoEV
Over 40 years high level automotive and motorsport industry experience in full vehicle development programmes involving all aspects of automotive engineering from concept to completion.
Prof John Perkins CBE
Strategic Adviser
Former Scientific Adviser to UK Government and the author of the highly respected Perkins Review of Engineering Skills published in November 2013.
Barry Kennedy
Scrutineering Lead
National Motorsport UK scrutineer for both cars and karts, with over 50 years engineering experience, including automotive and the nuclear industry research and development.