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Nissan Expands STEM Skills Foundation to Strengthen Manufacturing and Engineering Talent

Manufacturing and Engineering

Business Honor
29 March, 2025

Inspiring future engineers through hands-on STEM training for advanced manufacturing and electric vehicles.

Nissan has revealed the expansion of its pioneering Skills Foundation, doubling in size to inspire 16,000 youngsters a year in science, technology, engineering, and math learning. The initiative has been created to deliver future skills in engineering and manufacturing, particularly in the growing electric vehicle market.

Launched in 2015 by King Charles, the Nissan Skills Foundation began as a single 1,000-pupil workshop. Over the past ten years, it expanded to 13 STEM courses, enrolling more than 100,000 pupils aged between six and eighteen. To mark this anniversary, Nissan invited 200 children to its Sunderland Plant to construct 300 LEGO Nissan Qashqais in a genuine production sequence, replicating manufacturing accuracy and engineering challenges.

Michael Jude, HR director at Nissan Sunderland, highlighted the success of the foundation in molding engineers of the future:

"To have inspired over 100,000 young minds across ten years is an incredible accomplishment. A significant number of our existing employees were first introduced to STEM through this program, which attests to its influence in terms of developing talent."

The investment fits with Nissan's vision to lead MADE NE (Manufacturing, Automation, Digitalization, and Electrification North East)—a £14.6 million scheme to develop world-class training centers. Under the initiative, Nissan will establish a second specialist classroom at the SASMI building close to its Sunderland Plant, further developing training in electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing technology.

Such schools as Gillas Lane School, which hosted Nissan's Monozukuri Caravan workshop a decade earlier, are still reaping benefits. Headteacher Kay Straughan underlined the importance of exposing young minds to STEM as early as possible to help raise future engineers and manufacturing specialists.

Through increasing STEM training schemes, Nissan is equipping the future workforce needed to make electric cars and drive more advanced manufacturing expansion in the UK.