The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship is an engineering award given to engineering students within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. It has been running since 1991 and, as part of The

Smallpeice Trust The Smallpeice Trust is a British charity that provides programmes to promote engineering careers to young people aged 10 to 18 through residential courses, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) days, STEM clubs and STEM teacher trainin ...

, has awarded over 6,000 scholarships to date. Named after Sir

Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as t ...

, the “father of the modern industrial factory system”, Arkwright is the largest and most prestigious Scholarship scheme of its type in the UK.

Selection

The scholarships are awarded through rigorous selection to the highest-calibre students from all educational backgrounds to support them through their

A Levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

Scottish Highers In the Scottish secondary education system, the Higher () is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) offered by the Scottish Qualification ...

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

. Students apply during year 11 (England and Wales), S4 (Scotland) and year 12 (Northern Ireland) before taking their

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

or Scottish ational 5

Standard Grade Standard Grades were Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years. Introduced in 1986, the Grades were replaced in 2013 with the Scottish Qualifications Authority's National exams in a major shake-up of Scotland's ...

exams. Scholarships begin at the start of year 12 (England & Wales) / S5 (Scotland) / year 13 (NI). Scholarships consist of an annual financial award to the Scholar and to their school, and a range of enrichment activities that increase a Scholar's understanding of their chosen field of engineering, such as mentoring and industry visits. The scholars are encouraged to study engineering, and the most common destinations for scholars are the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...

and

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

(in order).

Eligibility

Selection process

To be awarded an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, student applicants must go through a three-stage selection process. The first stage is an extended online application form, where students have to describe a technical project they have done and explain how engineering is an interest in their lives. This online application must include a reference from a relevant teacher at the applicant's school. Stage two is a two-hour exam, where applicants must set out the practical design and manufacturing methods of their proposed solutions to two stated engineering problems. The final stage is an interview hosted at a university renowned for engineering.

Trust & sponsors

Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are a programme of The Smallpeice Trust. The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charity that provides programmes to promote engineering careers to young people aged 10 to 18 through residential courses, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Days and Scholarships. Sponsors include

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

and other industrial companies.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.arkwright.org.uk Education finance in the United Kingdom Engineering education in the United Kingdom Scholarships in the United Kingdom