Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has established a charitable foundation with a focus on equity to empower children and young people.
JLR has pledged up to £2.5m to support the newly established JLR charitable foundation’s work in its first year with plans to increase funds annually as the foundation grows.
The foundation will use the funds to award grants to charitable organisations that benefit children and young people through initiatives that further their skills and knowledge and reduce inequalities by providing opportunities to the disadvantaged.
In the UK, JLR’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) ambassador programme has reached over 100,000 students with support from JLR employees, including JLR board members.
JLR China recently celebrated 10 years of its flagship youth programme, the country’s first automotive charity fund dedicated to youth. It has invested almost £12m to the fund to date, including rebuilding a rural school destroyed by an earthquake.
In Brazil, it is set to launch a new socio‑environmental educational programme this year to provide science classes for children in the rural communities near JLR’s plant.
‘Today’s young minds are tomorrow’s engineers’
Andrea Debbane, chief sustainability officer of JLR and JLR foundation trustee, said: “We have a long history of innovation, transformation and creating aspirational products because of the talented people who work and thrive in our business.
“Today’s young minds are tomorrow’s engineers, designers and innovators. And they are the leaders and creators of our future society.
“We want to help unlock aspiration and potential in all children and young people, many of whom miss out because they don’t know opportunities exist, or they don’t have the self‑belief or means to try.
“By removing barriers and providing access to the right skills, knowledge and opportunities, they can all play their part in building an exceptional and sustainable future.”
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