TJ - The Publication for Learning and Development

Inspire scholarships for construction industry

By Sue Mennell (14-03-2007)
0 Comments Comments
Article Rating:

Poor Best

Email to a friend | Print Version

Learning and Development News - Inspire scholarships for construction industry

Jonathan Fletcher, 21, who was awarded the prize sum of £4,000 for his winning entry in an essay writing competition open to the Inspire Scholars currently on the programme said: “The Inspire scheme is a wonderful opportunity for students like myself to gain valuable practical experience in various construction fields, and my knowledge and confidence has been given a real boost, not to mention the benefits of the financial contribution that the scheme has provided.”

Sir Michael Latham, Chairman, ConstructionSkills presented the cheque to Jonathan after judges announced his essay as the stand-out entry in the Inspire Scheme’s first awards ceremony. Sir Michael stated: “There is fierce competition for talented young people, so construction has to make itself an attractive proposition. In this age of tuition fees, top-up fees, and student loans, which are increasing the financial burden of going to university, money worries are creating a barrier between some of our brightest students and higher education. This in turn may put some of those students off even applying to university in the first place. Inspire Scholarships are one of very few ways in which undergraduates can obtain extra funding as an incentive to choose construction and  to help break down this barrier. And crucially, Inspire offers funding which does not need to be paid back. We want construction to be an industry in which students see employers invest in them from day one.”

The Inspire Scholarship scheme is the industry’s flagship recruitment drive for graduates – providing funding of up to £9,000 to support students through university.  In addition, sponsoring employers offer the student a 10-week summer placement at the end of their first year and the possibility of placement opportunities during a sandwich year, as well as potential employment upon graduation. The employers benefit by gaining access to the best available young talent without the hassle of undertaking an extensive graduate recruitment drive. In addition, the latest forecasts from the Construction Skills Network suggest that 32% of the new recruits required to join the industry between 2007-2011 will be professional roles such as construction managers, architects and technical staff. So it’s even more important than ever that there is an adequate supply of high quality graduates into the construction industry.

The scheme is match-funded by ConstructionSkills, which also administers the process and sources candidate students on the employer’s behalf. Each participating employer interviews the prospective scholar and is then responsible for making the final decision on whether their assigned student is offered a Scholarship. In addition, ConstructionSkills provides marketing support by publicising the scheme and its participants.   Leading employers already supporting the scheme include Lovell Partnership, Balfour Beatty plc, GJ Seddon and the Happold Trust.

 

Back to top | Current TJ

 

Readers Comment

Comment on this story here >

Be the first to comment on this news story

 

 

Articles from this Issue