Infiniti continues its search for the brightest engineering talent in the Middle East for the 2019 Infiniti Engineering Academy. The program aims to enhance skills of young students looking to get involved in automotive and motorsports engineering.
Being the only recruitment program of its kind in the world, it provides a unique opportunity for students to gain experience in both premium automotive as well as Formula 1 industries. Students are placed at the Infiniti Technical Centre Europe for the first six months, and six more at the Renault F1 Team.
"We look forward to assessing the talent and passion of this year’s applicants as the Academy provides a platform for engineering students to specialize in the automotive sector,” said Markus Leithe, Managing Director, Infiniti Middle East.
The Infiniti Engineering Academy is the firm's innovative method of picking the best talent for advanced automotive and motorsport engineering.
Warm Response to the Academy
Ever since Infiniti started the program, it has been seeing a year-on-year increase in the number of applications received. These applications show a healthy number of aspirants from the Middle East. In fact, the Academy registered a 131 percent surge in applications regionally this year compared to 2018. This season is set to witness the biggest program yet, judging by the response received.
“The INFINITI Engineering Academy, now in its sixth consecutive year, continues to witness great success as we see an increased growth year on year in the number of applications in the region. We look forward to assessing the talent and passion of this year’s applicants as the Academy provides a platform for engineering students to specialize in the automotive sector,” said Markus Leithe, Managing Director, Infiniti Middle East.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
The Academy will select one engineering student from the Middle East currently studying in a local and regional university to participate in the program. The Middle East winner will join another six winners from other regions (Asia & Oceania, Canada, China, Europe, Mexico, and USA) for an opportunity to gain experience working on both automotive and motorsport technologies.
Leithe continued, “Students will be chosen from a set of tasks that will assess their current knowledge of the technicalities of the automotive sector, as well as their soft skills. In return, we are delighted to provide them with the opportunity to work with us at the INFINITI Technical Centre Europe and with our partners at Renault F1® Team for a year’s long internship to receive insights of the motoring sport as well as futuristic innovations of the automotive sector.”
The winner of the Academy will spend six months with Infiniti's automotive division, and a further six months at Renault F1 Team.
2018 Results
2018 marked the fifth edition of the program, wherein Fahim Choudhary was announced as the winner of the Middle East final after a rigorous process. Competing against nine other finalists from around the region, Choudhary demonstrated his passion for the automotive sector and proved to be a worthy winner. Tackling numerous tests including an engineering exam, one-to-one interviews with the panel of judges, and a car build, he also completed challenges especially designed by Renault F1 Team, Harvard University, and other experts in the field.
After a series of tests as part of the application process, ten finalists will be shortlisted to participate in the final assessment at Al Masaood Automobiles, Abu Dhabi on 27th November and at Yas Marina Circuit on the 28th.
Deadline for submitting applications for the 2019 Infiniti Engineering Academy is on October 25th, 2019. Students can submit their applications by visiting the Academy’s site.