More Than An Adviser
Help shape what comes next at FIRST UK
Every season, young people, teachers, mentors, volunteers and partners make FIRST UK what it is. You see what works, what doesn't and what's missing – often before we do.
That’s why we're establishing a Community Advisory Board, so that your insight helps inform and shape the decisions that matter. If you've been part of our community and want a say in where we go next, we'd like to hear from you.
This is a voluntary role, not a paid position and open to people aged 18 and over. In return for around four hours of your time each quarter, you'll have a direct opportunity to influence how we develop, share your perspective with the people making decisions and help build More Than Robots.
Sound like you? We'd love to hear from you.
About FIRST UK
We're a robotics-based, industry-linked education and careers accelerator, equipping young people with the essential skills to engineer better futures. Through FIRST Tech Challenge, we bring robotics, real-world problem-solving and industry role models into young people's lives. We help them develop the skills, confidence and connections to take their next steps into education, employment and STEM careers.
Our community makes this possible. With more than 600 volunteers supporting our work, we're growing across all four UK nations. As we grow, we want to make sure the voices of the people closest to our programmes help shape what comes next.
That's where you come in.
The Opportunity
The Community Advisory Board will give our community a clear, regular voice in how FIRST UK works and develops. As a member, you'll bring your experience, ideas and honest feedback into conversations about our programmes, events, volunteering, communications, partnerships and inclusion. You'll help us understand what's happening on the ground, spot opportunities we might otherwise miss and challenge us to think differently. You'll help us answer questions such as:
What stops schools and young people from joining FIRST UK – or coming back?
How can we make our events work better for teams and volunteers?
What would make volunteering and mentoring easier to say yes to?
How can we make our programmes more accessible and increase their impact?
How do we tell our story in a way our community recognises?
Your contribution won't sit in a drawer. We'll report back on what we've done with your advice, what's still in progress, and why we haven't taken a recommendation forward.
This is an opportunity to influence, not to govern. The Board is advisory, with no executive or decision-making authority. Final responsibility for strategy, policy, budgets and delivery stays with FIRST UK and our Board of Trustees.
What you'll do
As a Community Advisory Board member, you'll:
Bring your own experience and perspective to discussions about FIRST UK's work and future.
Share insight into what's working well, what's not and what could be better.
Help identify emerging needs, barriers and opportunities across our community.
Give constructive, honest feedback on ideas and plans before we commit to them.
Listen to different perspectives and help us see beyond our own experiences.
Contribute to an inclusive, positive and respectful environment.
Handle confidential information carefully and declare any conflicts of interest.
Help strengthen the two-way conversation between FIRST UK and our community.
You won't be expected to speak on behalf of your team, school, region or organisation. We want your own perspective and experience, not a formal representative.
Requirements
We want to bring together a balanced mix of experiences, backgrounds and perspectives from across our community. We're looking for up to 10 people aged 18 or over with a strong connection to, and direct experience of, FIRST UK. You might be a:
Teacher (team lead)
Volunteer (mentor or gamechanger)
Champion Organisation Ambassador
FIRST UK alumni (in higher education or the workplace)
Employer partner
Each year one…