Congratulations to Lydia in Lower 6 for yet another award!  This time for the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship.

The highly respected Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, designed to inspire and equip the next generation of UK engineering talent, is celebrating a record number of female scholars embarking upon its 2020 programme.

This year, the programme awarded 300 esteemed scholarships to bright and aspiring 16-year-old students from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 45 per cent of these presented to female students and 38 per cent to young people from non-selective state schools.

Now heading into its 30th year, the Scholarship provides young people in the UK with a fully sponsored programme of hands-on experience, professional mentorship and careers guidance throughout their A-levels.

With women currently accounting for just 22 per cent of the STEM workforce, the Arkwright Engineering Programme aims to close the gender gap and support young people from all backgrounds with the skills and confidence to change the world through engineering.

Arkwright Engineering Scholars benefit from financial support, professional mentorship, exclusive networking opportunities and real-world learning experiences with leading engineering firms such as the IET, the RAF, Rolls Royce and Network Rail. The enrichment experiences offer students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in different engineering specialisms and discover a wide range of exciting career paths, from aerospace to robotics.

The programme aims to break down the misconceptions which some young people may have around working in STEM and offer exposure to inspiring female engineering role models, as scholars get to experience first-hand the positive impact which engineering can have on society.

The year-long scholarship application process, which involves an online application, an aptitude exam and a virtual interview, is designed to assess students’ engineering knowledge as well as other key life skills such as leadership and creative thinking.

Well done Lydia!