October 27, 2022

Lewis Hamilton’s Charity Co-Launches Campaign To Recruit 150 Black STEM Teachers

In response to the lack of diversity in the UK’s teaching force, Lewis Hamilton’s charitable foundation, Mission 44, has co-launched a campaign to to recruit and train more Black teachers in science, technology and maths (STEM) subjects.

The STEM From Black campaign is part of Mission 44’s two-year partnership with educational charity Teach First. Fronting the campaign is Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, tech leader and founder of the award-winning social enterprise, Stemettes.

Research by Tech First has revealed that out of 500,000 teachers in England, only 2% are from Black and minority backgrounds, meaning most schools do not have Black or brown teachers. The campaign aims to recruit 150 Black STEM teachers to work in schools in disadvantaged areas in England. 

“Our work with Teach First is another step towards addressing barriers preventing young Black students’ engagement with STEM,” said Sir Lewis Hamilton on Mission 44’s partnership with Teach First.

“By establishing this partnership, which focuses on identifying the best way to attract Black talent to STEM teaching roles, we hope to create a framework the wider education industry can implement. It’s our hope other organizations recruiting teachers will support and join us on our mission to see more diversity in the classroom.”  

The collaboration between Mission 44 and Teach First will see a range of taster and mentorship programs occur across two years. In addition, the organizations will come together to different trial-and-error approaches to tackle the lack of diversity within the STEM teaching sector over the years. 

Kumba Kpakima

Kumba Kpakima is a reporter at POCIT. A documentary about the knife crime epidemic in the UK got her a nomination for the UK's #30toWatch Young Journalists of the Year.