Trust Offers Financial Support to Ballymena Students
BALLYMENA students hoping to study highly “sought after subjects” at Northern Regional College could find themselves benefitting from The Gallaher Trust’s Scholarship Scheme, totalling £30,000 to be spent over the next three years, which was recently launched in conjunction with the College.
As part of the Scholarship Scheme, successful students aged 18 and over with a primary address in the Ballymena area will have their course fees paid of up to £2,500 per annum. Eligible students will be able to undertake a two-year qualification in one of the following four subjects: FD Engineering, FD Business with Digital Technology, FD Computing and HND Creative Media.
In addition to providing financial support to local students, The Gallaher Trust will also partner with employers in the Ballymena vicinity to help improve job prospects for Scholarship graduates.
Speaking about the launch of the Scholarship Scheme, which is due to commence in September, James Perry, MBE, member of The Gallaher Trust’s Board of Trustees said: “We are delighted to join with Northern Regional College to provide financial support to local students who are choosing to study sought after subjects.
“Our mission at The Gallaher Trust is to create jobs, develop skills and assist those from a disadvantaged background within the Ballymena community and through the Scholarship Scheme, we’ll be doing all of that.
“We’ll also be partnering with local businesses via the Scholarship Scheme, to offer students work based learning, mentoring and networking opportunities which will enhance their future employment prospects after graduation.”
Eligible students will be required to complete a selection process prior to receiving any Scholarship Scheme funding. Initial selection will be based on a conditional offer from Northern Regional College, previous academic achievement and a personal statement written by the applicant. The final selection process will comprise of a presentation to a panel of representatives from the College and The Gallaher Trust.
“It’s our hope that the Scholarship Scheme will serve to create a pool of well qualified young adults who will meet the needs of local employers,” James continued. “In the Ballymena area and indeed across Northern Ireland, we have suffered from a ‘brain drain’ for quite some time. We are hopeful that through creating opportunities like the Scholarship Scheme, both our young people and local employers will see a huge benefit.”
Christine Brown, Vice Principal of Teaching and Learning at Northern Regional College, added: “We are so pleased to be able to partner with The Gallaher Trust in delivering this exciting new Scholarship Scheme.
“The Gallaher Trust’s Scholarship Scheme is helping more young people enter a field about which they are truly passionate.
“This Scheme will prove invaluable to participating students, creating the opportunity to complete a third level qualification.
“Each of the four courses eligible for the Scholarship Scheme are extremely comprehensive and will enable students to network with potential employers which will benefit them after graduating.
“I would encourage anyone who meets the criteria to apply for the Scholarship Scheme.”
For more information visit: www.nrc.ac.uk.
