Mechanical engineering group EnerMech has provided the Robert Gordon University (RGU) Foundation with a £10,000 ACCESS RGU scholarship to support under-represented students studying engineering.
The EnerMech Scholarship will contribute to the student’s maintenance costs throughout their undergraduate degree whilst also supporting the Study Skills and Access Unit at RGU.
The first recipient of the award is Adebowale Odukoya (19), known as Ade, a first year mechanical engineering student from Possilpark in Glasgow.
Ade was selected from a shortlist of three candidates following a rigorous process based on stringent academic and personal criteria. In addition to financial support, Ade will also receive mentoring and paid work experience from EnerMech throughout her four year degree.
Aberdeen-headquartered EnerMech provides mechanical services to the international energy sector, employing 2400 staff in 20 countries.
EnerMech Technical Director, Phil Bentley, said: “We are delighted to support RGU with this scholarship and were impressed with the quality of candidates who made the shortlist. We look forward to supporting Ade through her engineering degree and hope that our sponsorship encourages her and other graduates into the energy industry.”
Ade said: “Winning the EnerMech scholarship is a dream come true. It is a privilege and I am grateful for the support that the scholarship had given me both financially and academically. The mentorship opportunity made available to me, where I can shadow and learn from the best in the field of engineering, is invaluable to me.
“Looking to the future I am confident that with the aid of the scholarship I will be able to reach my full potential as a mechanical engineer – to acquire knowledge, build skills, contribute to development of new technology and to empower others.”
Co-ordinator of the Study Skills and Access Unit at RGU, James Dunphy, added:
“RGU works hard to ensure that all students can achieve their full potential and this new scholarship shows the commitment EnerMech has to helping us in this goal.
“The EnerMech Scholarship attracted a great deal of interest from talented individuals and we are delighted to be working with EnerMech to support Ade as she undertakes her studies.”
ACCESS RGU is the university’s widening participation initiative, coordinated by the Wider Access and Outreach Team, based within the Study Skills and Access Unit.
Working in partnership across the university and with external partners, the team promotes the greater uptake of higher education among groups that are traditionally under-represented at university.