Emirati Automotive Students Visit UAE Race Team
GulfSport Racing hosted a visit by seventeen Automotive students from the Vocational Education Development Centre (VEDC) at Al Shahama in Abu Dhabi.
As part of the Institute of Applied Technology, VDEC offers an alternative to mainstream national curriculum for Emirati teenage boys, preparing trainees with the necessary skills and attitude to successfully start a career in industry. It is in effect a trade apprenticeship which is proving extremely popular with national employers like GulfSport Racing.
Said GulfSport’s Barry Hope, “I was delighted to find this type of practical automotive education being delivered when we visited VEDC recently. Frankly, we were beginning to wonder if we would ever be able to recruit Emirati race engineers and mechanics. With $11bn being invested in motor racing infrastructure and sponsorship by GCC governments, we need to see a matched investment in Arab race engineers and drivers.”
The group, accompanied by five VEDC tutors were treated to a practical introduction to race engineering by racing driver, Martin Hope, who holds an Honours Degree in Motorsport Engineering from Oxford Brookes University. Using GulfSport’s race workshop as their classroom, the students reviewed engine management systems, data loggers, racecar aerodynamics, setup and safety equipment.
The Vocational Education Development Centre (VEDC) is an exciting new training institution that is designed a an alternative to mainstream national curriculum for Emirati teenage boys. VEDC is located at Al Shahama , Abu Dhabi and is part of the Institute of Applied Technology. Training programmes preare trainees with the necessary skills and attitude to successfully start a career in industry. The life skills taight at VEDC assist trainees to become active participants in society.