Robert Stirrat, who studies in the Lower Sixth Form at Bromsgrove, attended the awards ceremony in the Institute of Engineering and Technology building at Savoy Place, London, during half-term. The awards were presented by Sir John Armitt, Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the Olympic Games. Sir John spoke about the Olympics as well as engineering in general and the scholars’ prospects for the future.
Named after the innovative engineer Sir Richard Arkwright – the “father” of the factory system – the Arkwright Scholarships Trust provides the scholarship in order to assist and encourage students to pursue engineering or related areas of design – at university or through a high-quality apprenticeship – and to take up careers in the field. Robert is one of 335 applicants who progressed through the rigorous selection process to win the scholarship. This year, 1103 applicants sat the aptitude test, and 496 progressed to the interview stage. Out of these, 335 scholarships were given, which is the largest number in one year that has been awarded so far.