Two hundred and forty nine talented 16 year old students from all over the UK will each be awarded one of the prestigious Arkwright Scholarships, at the Presentation of Awards, to be held on Friday, 30 October at the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology), London.
The Arkwright Scholarships Trust which is celebrating its nineteenth year, actively promotes science, technology, engineering and maths through encouraging a mutually beneficial partnership between education and industry. This year will be the ninth successive year the IET has hosted the Awards.
Linda Scott OBE, Arkwright's chief executive commented: "The partnership with the IET is extremely beneficial to all involved and very much appreciated. It provides an opportunity for talented young people to attend their Presentation of Awards at a very prestigious venue and to gain awareness of the work of The Institution and its members. The Scholars and their parents are very inspired by the day."
The scholarships are sponsored by a variety of companies and charitable trusts. The awards ceremony not only provides opportunity for students to be officially presented with their scholarship but also meet with their sponsors which include: Rolls Royce, Thales, Alcatel-Lucent, Royal Air Force, The Army, Royal Navy, BT, Balfour Beatty, BAE Systems, The Smallpeice Trust, The ERA Foundation and Lloyds Register Educational Trust.
This year, Arkwright received 770 Year 11 applications from 650 affiliated schools with 383 students being selected for interview. On sitting an aptitude paper, students are assessed and awarded scholarships over their two A Level/Scottish Higher years.
Scholars are invited to become Arkwright Ambassadors, helping raise the profile of science, technology, engineering and maths within their own schools and the wider community. In addition, teachers are encouraged to network at the various Arkwright associated events.
Guests at this year's event will include Professor Sir John O'Reilly – vice chancellor at Cranfield University and past president of the IET, and Sir Peter Williams – vice president and honorary treasurer of the Royal Society.
To date 2085 students and 1200 schools have benefited from The Arkwright Scholarships Trust.
Agnes Segal, membership services manager for the IET concluded: "We are delighted to be hosting the event again. It is a great privilege for the IET to welcome these talented young people along with their parents and teachers to our London home. We hope that they will go on to become the leading scientific and engineering minds who will work with engineers around the globe to solve the pressing problems facing the world today."