We spend a lot of time talking to engineering and manufacturing businesses about people. What good looks like, what is missing, and why it is so hard to find.
It is also exactly why we value partnerships like the one we have with University of Wolverhampton Racing, and why being there for the unveiling of the 2026 Radical SR3 XXR mattered so much to us.
It is very easy with events like this to focus on the end result. An incredible new car, a room full of people, followed by a grand reveal. But when you’ve spent time with the team and understand how they work and what is expected of them, you stop seeing just the finished product. You start to see the build-up, the pressure, the repetition and the problem solving.
It’s why when Ellie and Sarah attended the launch, they came back talking not just about the car, but the team & everything that had gone into getting it there.
What UWR are doing is not only about producing something that performs well on track – although that’s pretty important! It’s about developing people who understand what it takes to get something to that point in the first place. The kind of people who don’t cut corners because they aren’t being watched, who don’t ignore problems because they are inconvenient & who take real ownership of the part they play within a wider team.
In our world, working closely with manufacturing and engineering businesses, that is exactly what so many employers are looking for, and can often be the bit that is hardest to find.
There is no shortage of qualifications. There is no shortage of people who can talk through theory. What businesses tell us, is that they can sometimes struggle to find individuals who can step into a role and contribute, communicate properly and take responsibility without needing to be constantly guided.
That comes from being in situations where what you do is essential, where other people are relying on you and where the outcome is not guaranteed unless you put the work in.
That is exactly the environment UWR creates. The students are not on the sidelines, and they are not working through predictable scenarios. They are part of something that has real expectations and real-life consequences, where decisions have an impact and where learning happens in real time. Over time, that builds a level of awareness and confidence that is difficult to replicate, and you can see it in how the students approach their work.
That is a big part of why we chose to continue our sponsorship for a second year, and why it felt like such a straightforward decision to make.
Hearing Ellie and Sarah talk about the launch brought all of that together. Yes, the car itself is extremely impressive, but what sits behind it is so significant. It represents a group of people who are already developing the kind of mindset that businesses are actively looking for, people who understand responsibility, who are comfortable working as part of a team and who take pride in doing something properly.
As they head into the 2026 season, there is a real sense the team are building on something strong, and we are so proud to be continuing that journey with them. Not just because of what they will achieve on track, but because of the people they are becoming in the process, and the impact that will have long after the season is over.
For us, supporting UWR is part of staying properly connected to the industry we work in every day. It keeps us close to the people coming through, it keeps us grounded in what good looks like, and it allows us to continue doing what we do best, which is bringing the right people and the right businesses together in a way that actually works long term.
Huge congratulations to the team at UWR for a successful launch.
* Featured image of the Radical SR3XXR – photo credit Louise Wilkes
