UK’s future leaders in engineering honoured
03/12/2014
The Arkwright Scholarships Trust has made its largest ever award of scholarships to future leaders in the engineering profession. 410 sixth-form scholarships have been awarded at ceremonies in London and Glasgow.
These scholarships act as a beacon to the most talented school STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) students and help to ensure that high-potential young people stay engaged in the STEM careers pipeline.
The new Arkwright Engineering Scholars received their awards at prestigious ceremonies, supported by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. This year’s scholars come from all educational backgrounds across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Dr Martin Thomas, Chief Executive of the Arkwright Scholarships Trust, said: “Numerous learned reports have shown that the UK’s economic prosperity requires hundreds of thousands of new engineers and technical designers over the next few years. But we must recognise that numbers alone will not ensure our country’s future economic success. We also need some of these new engineers and designers to be modern-day Sir Richard Arkwrights or James Dysons – outstanding technical leaders able to guide their country to engineering success. Arkwright Engineering Scholarships help to develop this pipeline of top talent into the engineering profession.”
Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessing their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM. These are assessed through a rigorous selection process comprising an assessed application form, including a teacher’s supporting reference, a two-hour aptitude exam and a university-based interview. The scholarships support STEM students through their sixth-form studies and encourage them into top universities or higher apprenticeships.
The scholarships consist of an annual financial award to each scholar and to his/her school and a range of enrichment activities, such as mentoring and industry visits, that enhance a scholar’s experience of engineering and technical design in a real-world context. Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are highly regarded by universities and industry and are one of the most prestigious accolades that a talented sixth-form student can achieve.
The Scholarships are supported by universities, companies, professional institutions, trade associations, Worshipful Companies, the armed services, charitable trusts and personal donors.
Seven undergraduate scholarships, totalling £82,000 in value, were also awarded at the ceremonies, generously funded by The Reece Foundation, The Eranda Foundation, personal donors Mr and Mrs Down and The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.
www.arkwright.org.uk
