Report by Beverly Maloney
The Arkwright Scholarships Trust was registered as a charity in 1991 by Design & Technology teachers who wanted to encourage more high-calibre students aged from 16 to 18 years old to pursue a career in engineering. Their founders believed that, by identifying talented young people with a flair for engineering at an earlier stage of their education, Arkwright would be able to help these young people to realise their potential and continue the UK’s proud history of being a world leader in engineering innovation.
Each year, for the past 5 years, we have nominated several candidates to apply for an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, a process which holds much value, and I have been privileged to have seen so many fantastic applications.
Harriet, Year 11 (Howe), one of this year's applicants, explains more:
“The Arkwright process started with everyone filling out an application that had questions on why we want to go into engineering. We also had to fill in a section about a chosen project. I chose my Design and Technology project that was unfinished at the time. You had to relate the project to engineering and demonstrate that you learned skills that are associated with engineering.
“Next, everyone had to sit a 2-hour aptitude exam which consisted of showing how we could solve problems, using drawings and annotations to showcase our solutions. We then had to wait to see if we had been selected for an interview, and when I found out I was successful, I had to put a presentation together based on the project that was written about in the initial application. I was then interviewed where I presented the presentation and answered some questions.
“This process was one that I learned many skills in. It was one of the first times I had to fill in a long application for something, in which I had to relate what I have done, like my extracurricular activities. I had no idea how much sailing related to my application (as this is a passion of mine) and how it has inspired me wanting to go into engineering until the application. The assessment also used skills that we had learned in Design & Technology and Physics lessons. This was important as it showed us how closely related these subjects are and how we can use what we learn in school in a creative and practical setting.
“The interview was very nerve-wracking, however, I learned how to properly prepare myself and how to answer interview questions effectively. These are skills that I will not only be able to put on my CV but also skills that I will use for many years to come. I'm so thankful for having taken part in this process, and while I'm nervous to see if I am successful in getting the scholarship, I'm very pleased that I completed it and urge anyone thinking about applying to do so. Even if you don’t think you'll get anywhere with it you’ll learn lots, and you never know if you are what they might be possibly looking for!”
We wish Harriet all the best for when she receives her news at the end of this term.
The Smallpeice Trust has approached RHS and has asked for some valuable support - we hope you might be able to help:
“We are approaching an exciting time of the year now where we are conducting interviews for Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and are pleased to announce that a student from the Royal Hospital School has been successful in progressing to this stage. We aim to award 300 Scholarships to the very best candidates in September this year.
Can you help us to achieve our target by sponsoring a 2023 Scholar?
If you are interested in finding out more then please visit our website for more information. Alternatively, you can email martina.penrice@smallpeicetrust.org.uk.”