Universities partner with the UKESF

1st September 2014
Source: UKESF
Posted By : Siobhan O'Gorman

The universities of Leeds and Sheffield, who are both members of the Russell Group, have partnered with the UKESF (UK Electronics Skills Foundation). Along with 11 other universities, Leeds and Sheffield will address the overall decline in the number of British students applying and registering for Electrical and Electronic Engineering degrees.

Through its scholarship scheme, the UKESF programme helps students find work placements with up to 25 industry sponsors, including ARM, AWE, CSR, Dialog Semiconductor, Imagination Technologies, Thales and XMOS. Since 2010, employers have awarded 174 scholarships to students at its university partners, and the number of scholarships offered each year is growing. With the recent partnership, students at Leeds and Sheffield will now also be able to apply for summer vacation and one-year industrial training placements. 

Although UCAS data shows a 26% in British applicants to EEE courses between 2002 and 2013, by 2020 it is expected that there will be an additional 150,000 highly skilled jobs within the UK electronics systems industry, which has a potential worth of £120bn. Leeds and Sheffield join Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Southampton, Surrey and York as university partners to UKESF.

“UKESF welcomes the addition of Leeds and Sheffield to the programme,” said Indro Mukerjee, Chairman of the UKESF Strategic Advisory Board. “By working with more of the UK’s leading universities, we are able to introduce our industry partners to a wider pool of the most talented electronic engineering students for sponsorship through university. And by providing work experience placements for them, our sponsors are able to develop relationships as an early start to their graduate recruitment process.” 

“The work the UKESF does to encourage more young people into electronic engineering degrees through its schools programme is just one of the reasons we are very pleased to have joined them.” commented Professor Ian Robertson, Head of the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds. “In addition, we are able to offer more industry-sponsored scholarships, showing prospective students there is a demand for electronics graduates and that, in the current climate of high tuition fees, an engineering education will prove a rewarding investment.”

Professor Geraint Jewell, Head of the University of Sheffield’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering department, said, “By partnering with UKESF, we are able to draw on the knowledge and expertise of the industry to ensure that we are better preparing our students for the real world. We pride ourselves on the high percentage of our graduates that move directly into careers, so we are delighted to be part of a process that will further safeguard their future.”


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