Prior Park student awarded prestigious Engineering Scholarship

02 Dec 2015

Sixth Form student George Rebello from Prior Park College was awarded a sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarship recently at a ceremony in London supported by the Institution of Engineering & Technology and the Rail Industry, led by Network Rail, Carillion and Colas Rail. George was presented with an Arkwright Scholarship by Principal Guest Naomi Climer, President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. George also met the organisation that is sponsoring his Scholarship for the next two years – The Steel Charitable Trust.

The Arkwright Engineering Scholarships support young people from across the UK who have the potential to be industry’s future leaders in engineering. During their sixth-form studies, Scholars receive £600 to support their technical courses and have access to a range of exciting opportunities to learn more about engineering, such as mentoring and company visits.

Scholars are selected following a rigorous selection process comprising a detailed application form supported by a teacher’s reference, a two-hour aptitude exam and an interview hosted at a top engineering university. From a pool of 30,000 eligible students, this year teachers endorsed the applications of 1559 students. 397 Scholarships were eventually awarded.

Dr Martin Thomas, Chief Executive of the Arkwright Scholarships Trust said: “I have been hugely impressed by the creativity, technical skills and leadership prowess of the young men and women receiving their Scholarships this year. The country needs 100,000s of new engineers to take the economy and society forward. But some of these newly-trained people need to also act as outstanding leadership beacons within industry and academia. The Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are the first step on that road to achieving such a vital position within the UK engineering profession.”