24 September 2009
Thames Water pledged today to support ten aspiring engineers by providing bursaries to help pay for their degrees and offering paid summer work placements and mentoring.
Supporting engineers of the future
The initiative forms part of the company's Ten for Ten scheme, a £10millon ten-point plan financed by Thames Water shareholders, which was launched last year to benefit disadvantaged customers and fund community projects.
Over the next five years the company will help students from the London Borough of Newham and surrounding areas as part of its commitment to support people pursuing a career in engineering. As well as financially supporting their engineering studies and career development, they will each have two summer placements with Thames Water, providing them with valuable work experience to open up doors in the future.
David Owens, Thames Water's Chief Executive, said:
"East London is an area where we will see exciting developments over the next few years in terms of innovative engineering in water and sewerage, including the London Tideway Tunnels and the Beckton Desalination Plant.
"Thames Water needs skilled engineers to design and deliver these major projects, and by supporting new talent through their studies and into their careers, we can help to ensure that the right skills are in place."
The initiative will be piloted this year with two students, and a further eight students will benefit from the scheme the following year. Local schools and the University of East London are being encouraged to identify potential applicants for the bursaries for 2010/11.
David Nickols, Chair of Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Water Panel, said:
"The Institution of Civil Engineers actively supports young people's development into engineering. We strive to promote and progress civil engineering and applaud schemes such as the Thames Water Engineering Bursary, which enables undergraduates to gain the necessary skills and experience through study and work placement to develop into the engineers of the future."
Dr Mohammad Dastbaz, Dean of School of Computing Information Technology and Engineering, said:
"In making these generous bursaries available Thames Water is showing their commitment to investing in our young people for the future. These awards not only recognise the high calibre of our students but also give a great financial boost to our aspiring engineers."
