Ford Announces the UK Universities to Receive Blue Oval Scholarships

Brentwood, Essex, 1st February, 2012 – Ford has chosen 12 leading UK universities to award 100 student scholarships, worth a total of £1 million, starting in the 2012 academic year.

The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme is aimed at encouraging the next generation of engineers, scientists and innovators to plan their future careers in British industry.

The universities selected to receive Ford Blue Oval Scholarships are: Bath, Bradford, Brunel, Cardiff, East Anglia, Imperial College London, Loughborough, Nottingham, Southampton, Strathclyde, Surrey and Warwick.

In making this announcement, Joe Greenwell, Ford of Britain chairman, met with Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, and a selection of senior university representatives at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) in London. The group discussed how government, businesses and universities could work together to benefit UK manufacturing and engineering.

Joe Greenwell said: “Ford is encouraging students to choose courses which deliver the highest quality science and technology skills which are fundamental to our future industrial base. The scholarship programme is just one of the ways in which Ford is inspiring the next generation of designers, engineers, and scientists and in turn, helping to rebalance the UK economy and ensure long term economic success.”

Universities Minister David Willetts said: “Ensuring the UK is the best place in the world for university-industry collaboration is vital to the growth of our economy, and this programme is a fantastic example of that. Ford is encouraging students to graduate with the latest knowledge and practical skills in science and technology; core skills which are needed by the UK manufacturing sector to drive growth through innovation and research & development.

"Creating a highly skilled workforce is critical to boost industry and our economy; graduates have a vital part to play and we must ensure they have the skills that employers need. I am delighted that Ford is contributing to this goal through their Blue Oval Scholarship Programme.

“Ford’s commitment also underlines the importance of the Government’s ‘Make it in Great Britain’ campaign, of which Joe Greenwell is an industry champion.”

The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme will provide 100 scholarships of £10,000 per student, over a three-year period on a variety of different courses, ranging from science to automotive engineering and computer technology.

For further detail on how Ford scholarships are awarded by the universities, visit www.ford.co.uk/AboutFord/Scholarships

Editor notes

• The UK manufacturing sector contributes £140bn pa to British economy.
• In the UK, Ford directly employs over 15,000 people – many in highly skilled roles developing and building high-technology, fuel-efficient, low CO2 engines, but in total 100,000 jobs are supported through the Ford supplier chain and dealer network. 
• Ford's recently announced £1.5 billion investment in low-carbon engineering and manufacturing is helping to underpin the UK's manufacturing and export-based economic recovery. 
• Ford plants at Bridgend in South Wales and Dagenham in East London have the combined capacity to assemble two million engines annually so that one in three Ford vehicles globally can be powered by a UK-built engine. 

# # #

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents.  With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

If you have any further enquiries or require publication-quality, downloadable photographs on Ford Motor Company products or services, visit our dedicated media website www.media.ford.com or contact our press officers.