Managed by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Aeronautical Society, the scheme is jointly funded by industry and government. Its aim is to award bursaries to study Masters (MSc) degrees in aerospace engineering, in order to help the UK meet its urgent requirement for more engineers.
Lowri Nicholls has been awarded the 500th Aerospace Masters bursary, fulfilling a commitment made by the Aerospace Growth Partnership to create an additional 500 MSc places. With a BSc in Mathematics already, she will study for an MSc in Materials Science and Engineering at Leeds University.
Nicholls said: “UK Aerospace is recognised as being a front runner in the development of lightweight materials and heavily invests in the field. It would be the best place to learn and make an impact as a materials engineer, and has great opportunities for specialist employment within the sector.”
Since its launch by the Prime Minister in 2012 at the Farnborough International Air Show, the bursary scheme has been developing a pipeline of talented individuals looking for a career in aerospace who would otherwise have been unable to study at that level.
“Aerospace is a sector where the UK has genuine world-leading capability. I want to capitalise on this so that we can win a big share of the $5.5trillion market for new aircraft which will be needed over the next 17 years,” said Business Minister, Anna Soubry. “This scheme is helping to ensure our aerospace industry gets the skills it needs to compete and grow and presents a great opportunity for people to build a highly skilled career.”
