05 Mar 2010 | Ref. 052/2010
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Michael Thomas, Thomas Schneider, Susen Sharma - BAE Systems Australia
Adelaide, Australia – BAE Systems, South Australia’s biggest defence employer, is getting behind the young people of northern Adelaide by helping three students from the area to realise their dreams.
Michael Thomas, Thomas Schneider and Susen Sharma are the recipients of the BAE Systems/Concept 2 Creation (C2C) Scholarships, which is now in its second year.
The C2C program is a nationally recognised industry/education partnership that uses project-based learning to introduce students to Advanced Manufacturing and to promote the relevance of mathematics, science, technology, and enterprise and employability skills.
Each scholarship student will receive $4,500 per year for up to four years to help them undertake tertiary studies in science, maths and technology at SA universities and TAFE colleges that will hopefully lead to a career in the defence industry.
BAE Systems will also offer paid work placements and mentoring to each student. In addition to this, the Northern Advanced Manufacturing Industry Group (NAMIG) provide students with counselling support and liaison with their tertiary institution during the program.
Another unique angle of the program is once students complete their first year, they become mentors themselves to other Year 10-11 high school students. By sharing their experiences and lessons learnt, they encourage others to aspire to future tertiary pathways.
Managing Director Jim McDowell said the scholarships represented the delivery of a commitment made by BAE Systems at the August 2008 Northern Summit.
“BAE Systems and other Northern Advanced Manufacturing Industry Group (NAMIG) industry partners have been working with schools in Northern Adelaide since 2005.”
“It has been fantastic to observe the progress of last year’s inaugural scholarship recipients. We are very pleased to be supporting the program for the second year running, and hope to continue the scholarship program for many years to come.”
“We are convinced that by encouraging young people in high school and as they move into tertiary education more and more local people will be able to access the opportunities around them,” Mr McDowell said.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is a global defence, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion).
For further information, please contact:
Simon Latimer, BAE Systems Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 8 8480 8759, Mob: +61 (0) 401 674 110
simon.latimer@baesystems.com
John Neilson, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384795
john.neilson@baesystems.com
Issued by:
BAE Systems, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6YU, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384719 Fax: +44 (0) 1252 383947
24hr media hotline: + 44 (0) 7801 717739
www.baesystems.com
