Since 2004, GE has provided leadership development opportunities and financial assistance to more than 70 university students in the UK
LONDON, 4 July 2008 -- Today, at a ceremony in central London, fifteen more UK undergraduates from five universities will become GE Foundation Scholar Leaders, awarded in recognition of their academic excellence and future leadership potential.
The GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Programme is run in partnership with the Institute of International Education (IIE), a leading not-for-profit international education organisation. Each student is awarded £6,000 over two years as part of the programme. The award identifies low-income, first year students who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need, and is designed to support them during the remainder of their studies.
More than a financial award, as Scholar Leaders, the students participate in a three-day Leadership Development Programme, which provides intensive workshops to develop business skills such as leadership, communication and career planning. Senior GE managers host many of the sessions. The Scholar Leaders also undertake community projects in their university locations. Another popular element of the programme is a work shadowing opportunity with a manager from one of GE's UK businesses.
Kris Matthews, a Scholar Leader from the first programme intake in 2004, is now working for GE. He said, "The GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Programme provided me with supported learning and networking opportunities that I could not have imagined when I first applied. It started my journey by supporting my academic studies and providing me with important contacts to help me make the next steps within the organisation. I am now 22 years old and graduating from the Operations Management Leadership Program (OMLP) in GE Aviation."
The GE Foundation launched the scholarship in the UK to attract students to areas of study such as engineering and technology, and to contribute to opening up access to higher education to the whole community. This reflects the Government's policy to expand higher education participation, particularly amongst 18-30 year olds and those from lower income backgrounds.
"This scholarship identifies promising young scholars who have demonstrated their commitment to society and provides them with tools to develop their leadership potential. It eases their financial burden while studying, provides broad avenues for community involvement and gives them an insiders' view of GE, one of the world's most respected companies", said Wagaye Johannes, Assistant Director of Scholarships, Institute of International Education.
The students were selected from six universities: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield Universities, as well as University College London.
They received their award from Rosalind Atterwill, Communications and Corporate Citizenship Leader, GE UK, with remarks by Tim Melville-Ross, Chair of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Penny Egan, Executive Director, US-UK Fulbright Commission.
Rosalind Atterwill commented, "Education projects have always been a priority for the GE Foundation because a good education helps people of all ages to broaden their horizons and fulfil their potential. This scholarship programme is a good example of the Foundation's global initiatives. Another important feature of the programme is that it encourages awardees to actively participate in the community, reflecting GE's own commitment to being a good corporate citizen."
Tim Melville-Ross said, "It was a great honour for me to meet these award winning young scholars and to support the GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program which makes a valuable contributions to widening participation in higher education and to raising awareness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects."
GE FOUNDATION SCHOLAR-LEADERS 2008
Mark Brinded, University of Leeds - Computing
Elinor Castle, University of Leeds - Engineering
Clare Coley, University of Leeds - Business School
Toni Coulson, University of Sheffield - Mathematics and Statistics
Laura Craddock, University of Leeds - Business School
Naurin Fatima, University of Sheffield - Social Sciences
Kristy Foale, University College London - Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Sabial Hanif, University of Birmingham - Social Sciences
Ali Kanani, University of Manchester - Humanities
Samuel Menahem, University of Leeds - Business School
Sohaib Mustafa, University of Manchester - Business School
Eunice Oluwasakin, University of Manchester - Physical Sciences and Engineering
Sajan Patel, University of Sheffield - Social Sciences
Thomas Reid, University of Leeds - Engineering
Eleanor Ring, University of Leeds - Business School
For further information about this scholarship programme and other IIE programmes, please see www.iie.eu or contact Wagaye Johannes at [email protected] or +36 1 472-2253.
GE
GE has operated in the UK since the 1930s and employs over 22,000 people, in six businesses, based at more than 45 major locations from Aberdeen to Falmouth and from Cardiff to Cambridge.
GE's UK operations represent its largest single presence outside of the US. Two of the six GE businesses have chosen to locate their global headquarters in the UK: GE Healthcare in Amersham and GE Money in London.
GE's business activities are wide-ranging and include servicing aircraft engines, providing state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to hospitals, distributing international blockbuster motion pictures. selling advanced gas turbines and financing businesses and customers.
GE people worldwide are dedicated to turning imaginative ideas into leading products and services that help solve some of the world's toughest problems.
GE Foundation (www.gefoundation.com)
When it was established over 50 years ago, the GE Foundation placed its core focus on educational opportunity, recognising the importance of investing in a well-educated workforce and society. Today, the need for a quality education has never been more urgent - both in creating a lifetime of opportunity for individuals, and as a major societal and economic imperative in the world. The Foundation's historic focus has grown into a commitment to finding, developing and supporting high-impact programmes and initiatives to improve the access, equity and quality of education in GE communities around the world.
Institute of International Education (www.iie.org or www.iie.eu)
The Institute of International Education is the most experienced global higher education and professional exchange agency. An independent, nonprofit organisation, IIE is the world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas, operating globally since 1919. IIE designs and implements over 250 programs of study and training annually for over 20,000 students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors around the world, with funding from government and private sources. IIE initiated its first educational programmes in Europe in 1919, and has been serving Europe directly from its office in Budapest since its establishment in 1990, working in the fields of scholarship administration, higher education, and English language assessment in 30 countries.
Institute of International Education
Wagaye Johannes
+36 1 472 2253
[email protected]