A TEAM of entrepreneurial school students visited a pioneering city company to learn more about the worlds of business and engineering.

Year 10 pupils at King’s Worcester called into the offices of The Key Safe Company to speak to people in the access management firm’s engineering, technical and marketing departments.

The mentoring visit built on a partnership that exists between the company, which designs, manufactures and sells world-leading key safes, and four students from the school who also go under the banner of Prism Racing.

Prism was a Professional Class UK finalist in the F1 in Schools international STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) competition in March.

As part of the competition, groups of school children aged 11 to 19 were tasked with designing and manufacturing a miniature car out of the official F1 Model Block using CAD/CAM design tools before racing it against rival vehicles.

Project management, branding, marketing campaigns and final presentations were also factored into each team’s overall scores.

Prism Racing members, who have all selected engineering as their chosen career path, produced a website, newsletters and even attracted sponsorship from Key Safe where staff helped to fine-tune the team’s car.

Key Safe employees were also willing to offer guidance during the pupils’ visit when the team discussed strategies for their entry to next year’s F1 in Schools and gained insight into how businesses operate.

Team member Aron Gijsel, 14, said visiting Key Safe was an “amazing opportunity”.

“From the moment we stepped into their facility, we were greeted with warmth and enthusiasm,” he said.

“The visit was both fun and immensely informative as we observed the Key Safe staff in action.

“It also gave us a first-hand look at a professional business environment.

“We delved into various aspects of Key Safe’s operations, including design, quality control and marketing, and were given valuable insights into their operations that we could transpose to improve the running of our own team.

“This visit not only broadened our technical knowledge but also motivated us to elevate our efforts, ensuring that we approach the competition with a professional mindset.”

As a way of thanking Key Safe for its continued support, Prism Racing presented employees with a miniature F1 car complete with the team’s branding and the company’s sponsorship logo.

Key Safe Customer Service Manager Kelly Woodhouse said it was a “pleasure” to host Prism Racing and introduce its members to the way the company works.

Kelly said: “The boys were given a unique, behind-the-scenes tour of what we do and a flavour of how we have established ourselves as a major producer and supplier of class-leading key safes.

“Supporting the local community is one of Key Safe’s core values so we were honoured to help Prism when they approached us.

“Our staff will always be on hand to provide expert advice should the team need any further help as they prepare for next year’s F1 In Schools competition. We wish them the very best of luck.”

By winning this year’s F1 In Schools Professional Class, Leaf1 from The Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury received a full scholarship to study mechanical engineering at Aston University.

They will also get to compete at the Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals later this year.

Founded in 1996, Key Safe designs, produces and markets security products, including police-preferred key safes, secure cabinets, access control systems, key cabinets and padlocks, setting the bar for quality and security.

For more information about Prism Racing, visit prismracing.uk.