New STEM Scholarships from BP
25/09/2018BP announces innovation scholarships for Kiwi school students
Annual scholarships launched today in celebration of BP’s 25-year partnership with Young Enterprise
BP has today introduced a new scholarship programme for Year 12 and 13 students planning to begin tertiary education the following year in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The BP Innovation Scholarship programme has been created as a celebration of a 25-year partnership between BP and Young Enterprise. The annual scholarship programme will see five students who have participated in a Young Enterprise-led programme awarded $1,000 each to go towards study-related costs for their first year of tertiary education in 2019.
Making the announcement at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, Debi Boffa, Managing Director for BP New Zealand, said the scheme was about giving back and inspiring and supporting New Zealand’s future innovative leaders to make the most of the opportunities before them.
“We feel so proud to have a partnership of 25 years with Young Enterprise whose purpose is to foster leadership, develop entrepreneurial skills, and build innovative minds for the future. We hope that the BP Innovation Scholarship programme will encourage and enable students with a passion for innovation to go after their dreams and big ideas.”BP has partnered with Young Enterprise since 1993 to support a range of programmes and initiatives throughout New Zealand, and more recently, extended that partnership to develop the BP Business Challenge. BP staff offer their time as judges as various Young Enterprise events nationwide.
CEO for Young Enterprise, Terry Shubkin, says, “We are so excited to be celebrating this 25-year milestone with our longest standing supporter, BP, and what better way to celebrate than by contributing directly to some of our most innovative and passionate students and the futures they want to pursue after school. This really is a wonderful way to acknowledge 25 years of partnership in supporting the next generation of NZ business leaders.”
The scholarship announcement came at the end of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School’s three-day BP Business Challenge. The challenge, organised by Young Enterprise, sees groups of Year 11 students brainstorm, prototype, and present a business idea in three days. Debi Boffa was a judge on the panel for the presentations. She was proud to announce, in recognition of the amazing contribution the school is making in the lives of its students, that one of the five 2018 scholarship recipients will be a student from Auckland Girls’ Grammar School.
“It’s programmes like the ones Young Enterprise offer that really challenge our students and help them to take calculated risks and explore big ideas in a supportive environment. We’re delighted that BP made the scholarship announcement at our school today and are even more excited that one of our students will be a recipient,” says Ms Ashmore, Principal Auckland Girls' Grammar School.
Applications for this year’s scholarship open on 21 September and close on 16 November, 2018. Any Year 12 or 13 student who has participated in a BP Business Challenge or Young Enterprise programme may apply.
BP are looking for applicants who are passionate about being an ambassador for change and innovation. Students can apply at www.bp.co.nz.
References
About the 25-year BP and Young Enterprise partnership:
- Since 1993, BP has helped the Young Enterprise Trust in identifying and acknowledging young Kiwis who show initiative and passion for developing new ideas, products and services. BP sees fostering the next generation of Kiwi business leaders as good for business and great for New Zealand, and is proud to be supporting the next generation of NZ business leaders.
- BP is always looking for new ways to be more actively involved in Young Enterprise, so in 2012 they worked with the team at Young Enterprise to launch the BP Business Challenge. The BP Business Challenge is aimed at year 11 students and is a unique three-day experiential learning programme where students develop skills, understandings and attitudes about how a successful business operates. The challenge also connects the students with their local business community.
