In recent years, the popularity of scholarships has increased, particularly given the rising cost of further education and university courses. Offering financial support for students to help them with their third level education fees, allows them to develop their learning and receive an education that they may not have had access to otherwise.
A scholarship proves invaluable to successful applicants in terms of helping them develop new skills, getting an opportunity to complete a third level qualification, and secure a job in a sector that they are truly passionate about. This aligns with the Gallaher Trust’s aim, which is to work with its delivery partners to promote job creation, skills development, and provide assistance to disadvantaged adults in the Ballymena community.
To date, The Gallaher Trust has invested £160,000 across three scholarship schemes, partnering with Northern Regional College, Supporting Communities and the Ulster Farmers’ Union.
Northern Regional College – Foundation Degree Scholarship
In 2021, The Gallaher Trust partnered with the Northern Regional College (NRC) to establish a Foundation Degree Scholarship. This scholarship supports two students per year who wish to study courses in Engineering, Business with Digital Technology, Computing and Creative Media, covering their course fees for two years.
Supporting Communities – University Scholarship
In 2022, The Gallaher Trust partnered with Supporting Communities to establish a University Scholarship. The scholarship supports two students per year who wish to study STEM or business subject at either Queen’s University, Belfast, or Ulster University. It gives the recipients a £1,500 technology package and £2,000 per year to support them during their studies.
Ulster Farmers’ Union – Supporting the Rural Economy
The Gallaher Trust partnered with the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) in 2023 to provide £65,000 of funding to support Ballymena’s rural economy. The farming scholarships support two local students per year wishing to study at CAFRE (College of Agriculture and Rural Enterprise), giving them a £1,500 technology package, as well as financial assistance which covers their course fees.
As a result of The Gallaher Trust’s scholarships with its delivery partners, the charity has been able to support 16 disadvantaged young adults within the wider Ballymena area to obtain an education that without the scholarship, they might not have had the opportunity to pursue, with an additional eight students still to avail of scholarship funding.
And the value of a scholarship goes well beyond just financial support – those students who have successfully been accepted for one of The Gallaher Trust’s scholarship places have also had mentoring opportunities from local employers, peer support, work placements, meeting new people, learning new skills and growing in confidence. The development of these attributes will go towards building the next generation of Ballymena’s workforce, benefitting the local economy in the years to come.
The Gallaher Trust remains committed to providing its scholarship scheme and is confident that the students who complete their scholarship courses will help create a pool of well qualified and highly skilled young adults within the local area.
If you or someone you know would like to find out more about the scholarship opportunities available, please reach out to the point of contacts below within each organisation:
Northern Regional College: scholarships@nrc.ac.uk
Supporting Communities: Stephen Marks stephen@supportingcommunities.org
Ulster Farmers Union: Derek Lough dereklough@ufuhq.com
