Mayo student selected for college bursary scheme

Kirby Group Engineering has announced the recipients of its third-level bursary awards for this year, as part of the company’s ongoing drive to promote diversity and inclusion in the engineering sector. Six female students have been selected this year, as the programme goes from strength to strength as one Mayo women is selected.

Kirby is a family-founded firm based in Limerick and has operations across Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, the Nordics, and South Africa. It employs over 1,900 people and provides full mechanical and electrical contracting services as well as specialist high-voltage (HV) and medium-voltage (MV) design and construction services. Its clients include a number of global IT leaders and range across different sectors including Data Centres, Life Sciences, Industrial, and Power and Renewables.  

Now in its fourth year, Kirby’s bursary programme is open to women studying Electrical, Mechanical, or Building Services Engineering at third level institutions across Ireland and South Africa. Having come through a rigorous selection process conducted by Kirby’s Talent Acquisition team, the six recipients will receive:

• A full scholarship to cover the coming academic year
• Paid professional placements on Kirby’s local and international projects
• Mentorship from senior engineers
• Opportunities to gain highly valuable industry insights

This year's winning students include Sarah Coyle from Belmullet who is studying at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Galway. She says diversity in the industry is crucial: “It is important to me that women are visible in the engineering industry, as their presence inspires the next generation, including myself, to pursue careers in engineering with confidence and ambition.” 

Electrical Engineering Manager at Kirby, Amy Lane is among the leaders supporting the students. She says the scheme has become a valued part of Kirby’s structure: “I’m thrilled to say we are entering the fourth year of our third-level bursary programme.  It has been a pleasure to meet and work with many highly talented and motivated students and this year’s intake is no different. Programmes like this one are vital to the future of engineering, one in which diversity is the norm and Kirby will continue to champion that cause, as a people-first organisation.”

Kirby’s Chief Operations Officer, John Grogan, believes the bursary programme is an extremely worthwhile investment: “Initiatives such as this play an important role in demonstrating the benefits of careers in engineering and construction and more importantly, ensuring those messages reach as wide an audience as possible. The bursary programme is a symbol of Kirby’s commitment to promoting diversity and above all, our identity as a people first organisation."

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