Self-Driving Industry Awards 2026 partner, Ava and Chip, have published a bite-sized careers guide for young tech enthusiasts who might one day like to work with autonomous vehicles.
Aimed primarily at UK-based 7-11 year-olds, the Jobs Behind Self-Driving Cars blog looks at sensors, software and safety, highlighting the vital role of designers, engineers and researchers, among others.
Its author, tech education expert Beverly Clarke MBE (also founder of our official Self-Driving Industry Awards 2026 charity, Technology Books for Children), commented: “Self-driving cars can seem like something from the future, but children are already hearing about this technology today.
“Our new blog, created as part of our collaboration with Cars Of The Future, explains what makes self-driving cars work in a simple, child-friendly way.”
Future careers
Regular readers might recall that we joined the Technology Books for Children team at the House of Commons, almost a year ago now, to celebrate the launch of their new book, The Tech Career Coach For Teens.
Clarke then reflected on the magic of reading in stimulating the imagination, praising the expertise of her co-authors – Rebecca Franks, of Flip Computing, and computer scientist, Dr Tracy Gardner – along with charity Trustees Sarah Zaman and Abena Akuffo-Kelly.
“Tech is where the jobs are going to be – in AI, online safety, robotics, and new areas that don’t even exist yet,” she said. “By encouraging children to read tech books for pleasure, we’re helping to make digital literacy a key part of their learning journey.”
Indeed. In the second book of her series for younger children, The Digital Adventures of Ava and Chip: Self-Driving Car, Ava begins to realise there are lots of different jobs linked to vehicle technology, from GPS to voice recognition.
The new Jobs Behind Self-Driving Cars blog expands on this, covering subjects including…
Design
Designers think about how a vehicle will look, both inside and out, how people will see it, sit in it, how comfortable it feels and how easy it is to use. They need to think about screens, doors, seating, accessibility, lighting, space and passenger information.
Hardware
Hardware engineers work on the physical parts of the vehicle. This could include cameras, sensors, computers, actuators, radar and lidar. For pupils, leaning that these help the car recognise people, traffic signs and other vehicles, makes engineering feel real.
Software
Software is the set of instructions that helps technology work. In self-driving cars, software helps the vehicle process information, follow routes, respond to changes and make decisions. This links closely to artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms and automation.
Testing & Trust
Before a self-driving car can be trusted, it must be tested. Safety testers think about different situations that could happen on the road. What if it rains, a cyclist appears, or a sensor stops working?
V2X
Modern vehicles are connected to apps, maps and payment platforms. That means cybersecurity is essential. Pupils can discuss why passwords, updates and careful design matter, especially when technology is connected to the internet.
Research
Researchers investigate how technologies work and how people feel about them. They may study safety, public opinion, accessibility, road use, passenger comfort or the environmental impact of autonomous vehicles. Good research ultimately helps people make better decisions.
Legal & Insurance
If a self-driving car is involved in an incident, people need to know who is responsible. Legal and insurance experts think about rules, safety standards, liability and risk.
The more observant among you may have noticed that the above roles reflect our core Self-Driving Industry Award categories. Nice work, thanks Beverly!
Please do check out the full Jobs Behind Self-Driving Cars blog on the Ava and Chip website.
