Waterford students receive prestigious scholarships from leading engineering firm

Two students from County Waterford have received third level scholarships under a bursary programme operated by one of the country's largest engineering companies.

Kirby Group Engineering, as part of its ongoing commitment to and investment in diversity and inclusion, has announced the five winners of its third-level bursary programme for the 2024/25 academic year. 

This marks the third year of the initiative, which aims to provide women with valuable opportunities and financial support to gain experience in the broader engineering industry.

The five students chosen are classmates Catherine Duffy and Hannah O’Connor from Waterford, both in their second year of Electrical Engineering at South East Technological University, Waterford; Ella Clarke from Dublin, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student from Trinity College Dublin; USA native, Mikaela Hunter from Des Moines, a final year student of Electronic Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and Leiya Bookhan from Pretoria in South Africa, a second year Mechanical Engineering student from the University of Pretoria.

Kirby is a leading mechanical and engineering contractor operating across Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa. It directly employs over 1,800 people and actively promotes diversity and inclusion at each of its locations. 

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The bursary programme is solely open to females studying Electrical, Mechanical or Building Services Engineering at third level institutions across Ireland, and for the first time, their counterparts in South Africa.

This year’s winners were chosen through a rigorous selection process led by Kirby’s Talent Acquisition team. The recipients receive a full scholarship to cover the academic year 2024/25, as well as paid professional placements on Kirby’s local and international leading edge engineering projects.

The five undergraduate students will benefit from mentorship provided by experienced senior engineers offering them valuable guidance and industry insight.

Hannah O’Connor believes this opportunity will have a positive impact on her career and will allow her to connect and support other like-minded women in STEM: “This will open doors for me to experience life outside Ireland and allow my independence to grow. Meeting new people will contribute to shaping my professional growth and will enable me to explore a new field of electrical engineering I have not yet encountered.”

Leiya Bookhan will continue her studies in South Africa and liaise with the Kirby Cape Town office for placement. She explains: “This work will serve as a stepping stone, where I aim to apply my expertise to solve problems and hopefully add significant value to the engineering community.”

Mikaela Hunter sees Kirby’s bursary programme as an opportunity to advance her career development: “The professional and mentoring connections that Kirby Group Engineering offers will be essential to my career growth, providing me with insights and guidance from experts in electrical engineering. This support will enhance my professional skills, expand my network, and prepare me for a meaningful career that uses engineering to help people,” she explains. 

Catherine Duffy views this scholarship as an opportunity to deepen her focus on her studies: “The chance to undertake a work placement in one of the many offices and sites excites me to help me gain more hands-on knowledge in the field of electrical engineering.”

Commenting at the launch of the 2024 bursary programme, Amy Lane, Electrical Engineering Manager at Kirby said: "Building on the success of our programme’s second year, we’re excited to partner with a talented cohort of female engineering students from Irish and South African universities. Our past bursary recipients have become inspiring role models for Kirby. We’re confident these five new students will gain invaluable hands-on experience during their placements. At Kirby, the opportunities for women in engineering have never been greater."