|
4 September, 2010
 |
Published: 07 January, 2009
A STUDENT from Caithness has been awarded a prestigious engineering scholarship by the oil and gas company Petro-Canada.
advertising
Christopher Maycock (19) is one of the first to benefit from the £140,000 committed by the firm over a four-year period to fund 20 scholars at the University of Aberdeen. Created in recognition of the need to foster new talent in the oil and gas sector, the Petro-Canada Emerging Leaders Scholarship Programme will provide the first five of the 20 recipients with financial support, mentoring and the opportunity to apply for industry experience through placements at the company's Aberdeen office. Christopher, a former pupil of Pennyland Primary School and Thurso High, moved south from Scrabster to Inverurie with the rest of his family in May 2007. He is in the second year of his master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Joining Christopher on the scholarship programme funded by Petro-Canada this year are fellow Aberdeen students Douglas Borthwick, Maria Farid, Sean McKeown and Joanna Farquharson. "These are gifted, enthusiastic, highly motivated, hard-working students with considerable promise and we are delighted to be able to support them to fulfil their ambitions," said John Scrimgeour, Petro-Canada's regional manager for north-west Europe. "We have chosen five exceptional students from mechanical and chemical engineering disciplines and I am certain, having met with them all, this first stage in the programme is going to be a great success." This is the first time Petro-Canada has established a scholarship programme with a UK higher education institution. Mr Scrimgeour added: "We run a similar scholarship programme in Canada where we have recruited and retained a number of outstanding students. This is the first time our Emerging Leaders Scholarship programme has been rolled out in the UK and we are delighted to be working alongside the University of Aberdeen to support engineering students to maximise their potential.
"We are continually looking to the future, and attracting young and dynamic personnel is key to our continued growth and success. Indeed there is a skills shortage in the sector, but over and above that we want to give talented engineering students a helping hand to achieve their ambitions. "We are investing heavily in the North Sea but, as an international operator, Petro-Canada can also offer potential global opportunities for career advancement." Professor Albert Rodger, vice-principal and head of the College of Physical Sciences, said: "The oil and gas sector is a booming industry which is continually developing and facing new challenges. Nurturing prospective new talent is therefore vital towards the sector's continuing success, and we are delighted to receive this strong support from Petro-Canada which enables the university to further develop its valuable portfolio of scholarships. "As well as being a financial support for the students, the opportunity for work experience is a fundamental part of the scholarship programme." At an informal presentation held at the university, the five students selected to take part in Petro-Canada's Emerging Leaders Scholarship Programme had the opportunity to meet Mr Scrimgeour and one of Petro-Canada's key asset managers, Julian Serna. This gave Christopher and the other scholars a chance to learn first-hand what the scholarship programme will provide them with and what it means to the company. The scholarship programme means the students will receive £1000 each at the beginning of their second year of study, with this figure increasing to £2000 per scholar for years three, four and five of their undergraduate degree programme. Petro-Canada has also contributed £100,000 towards the fundraising campaign to create the new University of Aberdeen library. 
|
WHAT'S ON
THE BIG VOTE
Does Caithness have enough wind farms? Local Guides
|
