Two Sheffield Hallam University students have been chosen to take part in the inaugural Santander STEMships programme.
Alice Boote and Jennifer Jones were selected as two of 30 up-and-coming female engineers to take part in the new initiative, which is dedicated to supporting female engineering students and incentivising more women to embark on a career in the engineering industry.
The beneficiaries of the programme were announced at the 2019 Formula Student event at Silverstone recently by Santander UK’s CEO Nathan Bostock and former Formula One World Champion and Santander Universities ambassador Jenson Button.
The STEMships programme aims to break down barriers facing women entering the engineering industry by providing aspiring female engineers with dedicated tools, resources and opportunities to allow them to succeed in the industry post study.
Through the Santander Universities STEMships Programme, Alice and Jennifer will embark on a two-year support programme, which includes a £1,500 scholarship, an overseas experience with a leading engineering institution, membership to the Women’s Engineering Society and access to various mentoring and internship schemes.
Following the recent STEMships launch event, BEng Automotive Engineering student Alice Boote, said: “Being chosen as one of the 30 to be part of the Programme is a real honour. I know I will gain so much from the support of Santander and will benefit from the networking opportunities, the chance to experience well-established engineering companies and to learn from successful women in engineering. I am very excited to see what the next two years in the programme will bring!”
James Johnston, head of development at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The University is committed to creating the best opportunities for women in STEM subjects and it is with great thanks to Santander Universities that we can continue this work. As we head into the third successful year of our partnership with Santander Universities, Jennifer and Alice join a community of over 80 students who have already benefited from the program and who, because of the funding, are going on to great graduate success.”
Matt Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities UK, said: “We’re thrilled to be launching our unique STEMships to support and inspire the next generation of women engineers from across the UK. Having worked closely with Formula Students across our partner universities, we recognise the challenges facing female engineering students as they look to embark on careers in the industry. We hope the programme will support them with their career ambitions.”