STEM HR Specialist Joins RC Vision
Dr Astrida Grigulis, PHD, Will Advise RC Vision On Unlocking Employment Opportunities
London, England - Oct. 27, 2021. The start-up social venture RC Vision further strengthened its advisory team today with the appointment of HR specialist Dr. Astrida Grigulis, PhD. A chartered human resource management professional, Grigulis has led diversity and inclusion leadership projects at some of the largest Government and non- Government STEM employers in the UK, including British Airways. She brings first hand experience and expertise of the challenges employers face attracting and retaining a diverse STEM workforce.
Grigulis commented:
“The fulfilling and exciting nature of a STEM career can feel like a special secret. Applicants often talked about family history within STEM and how they made choices based on the experiences of a family member. I firmly believe that we are missing opportunities to attract and engage young people in STEM careers, at a time when the skills shortage is, if anything, growing.
“Engaging communities, children and young people in RC racing to build STEM learning engagement is a brilliant and simple idea. Breaking down learning into fun and accessible pieces, engaging with peers and getting your hands dirty is vital to discovering all the rewards STEM activities bring. Colleagues in engineering recruitment often talk about how young people have less opportunity to handle tools and equipment nowadays. Different forms of learning, like digital, are important, but physically building something like an RC car, and making it work, is vital.
“I’m delighted to support RC Vision to work with employers to make this happen.”
By developing radio control car racing facilities in locations accessible for minoritised communities, RC Vision aims to reach out and engage children and young people of colour in the world of electric radio control car racing. This, Hyde believes, will generate opportunities for children and young people to develop ‘engineering habits of mind’ and science capital, and have a lot of fun while they are doing it.
Andy Hyde, the founder of RC Vision, commented on the appointment:
“The STEM skills shortage is a well-documented problem facing our country. Building the talent pipeline for employers requires the kind of early engagement RC Vision brings. Employers need to play their part in this, and I’m delighted Astrida has agreed to support us to engage with employers. We want to be sure we meet the needs of employers in this country, but that they, in turn, play their part in creating the opportunities for young people to discover and learn on their own terms.”
