BAE Systems continues Chevening Scholarship commitment
The MoU was signed at LIMA, Malaysia's defence and maritime exhibition, on Monday, by HE Vicki Treadell CMG MVO, the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, and Martin Taylor, Managing Director of Combat Air, BAE Systems; in the presence of Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology.
The Chevening Scholarship programme is the UK Government’s global scholarship scheme which gives future leaders from across the globe the opportunity to undertake a one year Master’s degree in a number of fields, including engineering, at a university in the UK.
HE Vicki Treadell said: “As the UK-Malaysia relationship continues to grow from strength to strength, the UK remains firmly committed to offering talented Malaysians the opportunity to pursue first class tertiary education in the United Kingdom. This year, Malaysia has benefited from a tripling of Foreign Office funding, making it one of the largest recipients of Chevening Scholarships around the world. This bodes well with the 40% increase in the number of eligible Chevening scholarship applications for the academic year 2015/16.”
BAE Systems' Regional Managing Director, John Brosnan, said: “Education represents one of the most long-standing and successful bilateral ties between the UK and Malaysia. Today’s MoU signing demonstrates BAE Systems’ enduring commitment in supporting this relationship with the Malaysian government. We believe that education paves the way for young people to become responsible and innovative citizens, forming the foundation for a stronger nation.”
BAE Systems' support to the Chevening scholarship programme in Malaysia provides the opportunity for Malaysian students to develop their capabilities and expand on their experience in tandem with the growing demand for skillsets and innovative thinking seen in today’s economy, which in turn will stimulate growth in high-tech sectors of aerospace and defence.
This is the fourth year that BAE Systems have committed to support Chevening Scholarships, taking the total number of students sponsored to date to 35. When the students are in the UK, BAE Systems host a number of events to demonstrate its engineering skills and to allow the students to meet a number of senior BAE Systems executives. These include visiting the Typhoon final assembly line in the North West of England and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, as well as learning about the company's cyber security activities during visits to BAE Systems' Applied Intelligence facilities.
