Congratulations to Kathryn (Year 12) and Thomas (Year 12) in becoming Arkwright Engineering Scholars.
An Arkwright Engineering Scholarship is the most esteemed scholarship of its type in the UK, designed to inspire students to pursue their dreams and change the world as an outstanding engineer of the future. Kathryn and Thomas were selected from over 1391 applicants and underwent a rigorous and competitive selection process, from an online application to the aptitude exam, culminating in a virtual interview. They were supported throughout by the Mr Guegan and the DT Department. The scholarships they have been awarded place Kathryn with The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers and Tom with the Royal Air Force (RAF). This comprehensive programme assesses each student’s engineering knowledge and helps them develop key life skills including leadership and creative thinking.
This is an impressive achievement and a huge milestone in their engineering careers. They describe their experience of the process below.
“Arkwright presented a fascinating and distinctive opportunity for me to explore the world of engineering and gain invaluable insights into what my future career in this field might entail. The application process occurred throughout my Year 11 year; this involved the submission of an application which included many through provoking questions on my aspirations as an engineer and the main attraction was a project which I was allowed to experiment and complete at my own pace.
After the initial applications we had to complete a written exam where we had to design the solutions to problems which they gave to you, and the final stage, an interview. During this interview they asked more about the project and discussed my ideas about being a future engineer.
This aspect of the programme spurred me to delve deeper into the realm of aerospace engineering and to learn more about the career paths that could come as a result. It helped me approach challenges from various angles. Upon success, I was connected my scholarship sponsor, the Royal Air Force (RAF). This allows me access, through them, to a wide array of connections into industry and future jobs in my chosen area of aerospace engineering. This is an additional benefit on top of the access to talks and exclusive connect days. This is made even better by being given a significant fund which I can use to experiment and learn in my own time. The whole process complemented my GCSE studies and gave me a way have an alternative to my normal studies, exploring the areas I found interesting in even more depth.”
– Tom
“An Arkwright scholarship is for future leaders of engineering. It provides mentoring, networking opportunities and work experience, and the school receives £400, and the scholar receives £600 to spend on engineering related things. I am planning to use the money on materials for projects, and summer schools.
I am being sponsored by The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, and I have the opportunity to be an apprentice of the company. It is a company that has good fellowship and networking, that mentors young people in science and technology, with a rich history.”
– Kathryn
Applications for 2024 open on the 9th October 2024 and we encourage any Year 11 student who have a genuine interest in a future career in engineering, computing, or technical design to apply for this career-enhancing opportunity.
Read more:
Application Process and Deadlines
What we are looking for in the initial on-line application
Project ideas for those students who may lack a high-quality, technically-challenging project
Mr Guegan, Head of Design and Technology