Ginetta and Michelin have launched a new initiative aimed at educating and encouraging young people about careers in the motorsport media.
The Junior Academy of Media (JAM), launched this past weekend at Oulton Park, is aimed at secondary school students aged from 12 to 16 years, opening their minds to careers including race photography, reporting, commentating, PR and marketing.
In recent weeks, Ginetta and Michelin have embarked on a nationwide tour of schools to talk to young people, with the companies to visit schools over the remainder of the season in the regions of the corresponding BTCC race meeting.
The school visits see a team from the companies come with a race car, tyres and other racing and safety equipment. The students are then asked to write a report on the visit, with the authors of the best pieces, as selected by the school, invited to become part of the academy and visit the next meeting as race-day reporters.
Over 300 students have been seen by the academy so far, with their work posted on the new JAM website – www.JAMedia.info
“This extension to our very successful partnership with Michelin enables us to further our commitment to supporting young people in motorsport – whether that be on, or off, the grid,” said Lawrence Tomlinson, Chairman of Ginetta.
“Our young reporters already have talent, and our aim is to develop that ability and enable them to see what goes on in the media to make a race weekend tick. The media is a vital part of our world and we’re very proud to be bringing these youngsters into it.”
“Motorsport is the cutting edge – the ‘rocket science’ of the automotive industry, with nearly every new piece of performance and safety technology in cars and tyres on the road today developed on the world’s motor racing circuits,” added Michelin Commercial Director, Malcolm Scovell.
“Without the media to tell the world about these amazing advances and developments, it wouldn’t mean an awful lot. That’s why we are very proud to offer young people all over the UK the opportunity to get involved and join our Academy and hopefully make a career for themselves in motorsport. We spend a lot of time at work, and it really helps if this time is spent doing something that we love.”
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Photo: (from right of car) Ginetta Chairman, Lawrence Tomlinson, Michelin Commercial Director Malcolm Scovell together with ITV4 Presenters Tim Harvey and Louise Goodman, JAM Ambassador Seb Morris (wearing sunglasses), and the first crop of young people to join the Junior Academy of Media together with Ginetta Junior racers Will Palmer (Left of car blue top / white shorts) and Tom Jackson (Kneeling) at Oulton Park.