Amazon Future Engineer Bursaries

Amazon Future

Engineer Bursaries

Supporting women students from low-income

households to study computer science or

related engineering courses at university

Applicant Guidance Notes

Deadline: 5pm, 7 May 2024

Introduction

Amazon Future Engineer Bursary

The Amazon Future Engineer Bursary programme supports women A-level and BTEC/OCR

(or Scottish equivalent) students from low-income households who wish to study

computer science or related engineering courses in UK universities.

These bursaries will provide successful applicants with a financial support package worth

£5,000 per year, for up to four years of study, to cover expenses related to attending

university, including tuition fees or accommodation and living costs. By removing some of

the financial barriers that may impact on university studies and career trajectory,

recipients can commit to their courses and stand the best possible chance of success.

Awardees will also gain exclusive access to networking groups, to meet positive role

models, interact with like-minded peers, build long-term relationships, and benefit from

collaboration opportunities.

The support package

If your application is successful, you will receive an exceptional package of support,

including:

Primary

• up to £20,000 to support your studies for

up to four years (depending on the course

length, for example, three or four years)

• an annual weekend training and

networking event

• access to valuable networks including

Royal Academy of Engineering Fellows,

Amazon representatives, and programme

alumni for advice and support

Additional

• invitations to Academy events and

opportunities to participate in other

valuable activities such as the Academy

stand at New Scientist Live and the Big

Bang Fair!

• access to the Academy’s quarterly journal,

Ingenia

• promotion of other suitable opportunities

for funding and other support available via

the Academy and personal development

opportunities offered by Amazon UK.

• be a woman

• currently be studying:

and/or

for at least 1 A level or Scottish Highers in science, technology, engineering, or maths;

- a full-time technical course such as computer science or other related computing or

engineering courses (such as a BTEC, OCR or the Scottish equivalent) at a further

education college

• be applying to study an eligible computer science or related engineering course, at a UK

university (including eligible courses with an integrated foundation year)

• be a UK resident and eligible to pay ‘home’ fee rates for university

• be enrolling at a UK university and commencing study at the start of the 2024 academic

year

• have been eligible for free school meals from the date you started your

post-16 studies and/or have at least one parent or guardian in receipt of state benefits (not

child benefit if this is the only benefit being received).

Eligible course areas:

• Electrical and electronic engineering

• Computer science

• Information technology

• Software engineering

• Artificial intelligence

• Computer games and animation

• Business computing

• Computer-aided engineering

• Computational mathematics

• Computational physics

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Eligibility criteria

Amazon Future Engineer Bursary

To be eligible for an Amazon Future Engineer Bursary you must:

Applicants can also study a

combination of course areas, for

example electronic engineering

and computer science

- An annual training and networking weekend

- Access to networking and alumni groups for advice, collaboration

and support.

Reporting

An end of year report is expected each year, to provide

an update on how your studies are progressing

and detailing how you have beneﬁted

from the bursary.

What to

expect

Financial support

An award value of £5,000 per year for up to four years

Each bursary will be available for up to four years depending on the

duration of the course undertaken.

What can you use your funding for?

The funding is intended to provide ﬁnancial assistance throughout your

course to help with tuition fees or a

ccommodation and living expenses.

Note: each grant payment will be released upon condition of you providing

continued proof of enrolment at the start of each term. In the ﬁrst year

only, two terms of funding will be released in January.

Training and mentoring

Application process

Application

completed

online and in full

(including supporting

documentation)

by 5.00pm 7 May

2024

Reviewed

by panel

at the Royal Academy

of Engineering

Unsuccessful

applicants

informed

Shortlisted

applicants

selected and invited

to an online interview

to take place in

August 2024

Award

made

The student is the person who must apply

to the bursary.

All applications must be submitted

by 5.00pm 7 May 2024, via the Academy’s

online Grant Management System (GMS)

available at https://grants.raeng.org. uk

All applicants must first register with the

online system and provide some basic

After registering and logging in to the

online grants system, select the ‘RAEng

Portal’ tab on the top left-hand side of your

screen. Here you will be presented with a list

of all Academy schemes that are currently

accepting applications.

Find the Amazon Future Engineer Bursary

and click on ‘Start an application’; here you

will be presented with the ‘Instructions’

screen, where you will see instructions on

how to use the system, and links to the five

sections of the application form. The

application form should take between two

to four hours to complete, depending on

whether you have already considered the

questions prior to applying.

A link to the guidance notes is embedded

within the system itself. However, the

guidance given below may be

more detailed so we recommend you keep

this document to hand.

Many of the questions have word limits,

which are designed to keep your answers

focused and to give you an indication of the

level of detail we require. In such cases, the

number of words you have used will be

displayed beneath the question and

updated in real time.

You can save your work at any stage in the

application process and return to it later.

You can answer the questions in any order

you like so you may freely skip some

sections to return to later. It is therefore

worth viewing the application early on for

an indication of what is required. You can

download a PDF of your applications after

submission, which is recommended for

reference. There is only one application

stage and those meeting the eligibility

criteria will enter the assessment stage.

If you have any questions concerning the

application or the online system, please

contact Lauren Pattle, Higher Education

Bursaries and Scholarships Manager, at

[email protected]

How to apply

What to expect in

your application

All applications must be submitted via the GMS, available here:

https://grants.raeng.org.uk

Note: Before completing the application form, applicants are asked to complete a Diversity

Monitoring Form to help the Academy monitor and assess its equality, diversity and

inclusion policy. The information will be treated as strictly conﬁdential, non-attributable

and only reported when collated. It is gathered, stored and used in compliance with the

Academy’s Privacy Notice in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

The information will only be used for statistical purposes with access restricted to staff

involved in processing and monitoring the data. It will not be seen by anyone involved in

any selection processes. No information will be published or used in any way that identiﬁes

individuals. We will retain your personal information for no longer than is necessary for the

purposes for which the personal information is processed. The length of time we hold on

to your personal information will vary according to what that information is and the reason

for which it is being processed. Please refer to the Academy’s Privacy Notice document for

more information.

Once you access the application form as a registered user, it should autocomplete your

name and contact details. You must ensure your email address and telephone number

are recorded accurately, as this will be how the Academy will contact you regarding your

application. You must also provide a personal email address that will remain valid for the

entire duration of your studies. This must not be a parent or guardian's email address; it

must be your own.

The following pages outline the questions you will be asked to answer and notes to

explain what is expected from you in each.

Please note that you will also be required to upload documentation as proof of some of

your answers before submitting your application.

• I have been continuously eligible for free

school meals since the start of my post-16

studies

• I have a parent/guardian in receipt of State

beneﬁts

Q.1.4

You will need to upload ofﬁcial

documentation to evidence each of the

following statements you have ticked in

the section above.

Your school, college, or academy will need

to provide a signed statement on letter-

headed paper to prove that you have been

continuously eligible for free school meals

since the start of your post-16 studies. You

don’t have to be actually claiming free

school meals, just eligible.

Your parent/guardian will be able to provide

you with the most recent proof of their

receipt of state beneﬁ

ts.

Q.1.5

Additional information: the information

below that we ask you to provide does

not affect your eligibility to apply for a

bursary

• I am currently in, or have been in, the local

authority care system

• I have NOT attended a fee-paying school

at any time since the age of 11

• I HAVE attended a fee-paying school at

any time since the age of 11

• I am the ﬁrst generation in my immediate

family to attend university

• Prefer not to say

Q.1.6

Only if you HAVE attended a fee-paying

school: please explain the source of

funding. For example, you may have been

in receipt of a scholarship.

Questions

Section 1 – Eligibility criteria

1.1

You will only be eligible for an Amazon

Future Engineer Bursary if you are going

to be studying an appropriate computer

science or related engineering course,

for example electrical and electronic

engineering, computer science, artiﬁcial

intelligence, or software engineering.

You need to confirm that you have

reviewed the list of eligible course areas

given in this document and available on the

Academy’s website, and that you believe

the course you are studying falls into one of

these areas.

Q.1.2

You need to confirm that you are a resident

of the UK and eligible to pay UK home fees

at university (if you cannot confirm this, you

are not eligible).

Q.1.3

You must also be able to demonstrate at

least one of the following:

Questions

Section 2 – Education

Q.2.1

AS, A levels, Scottish Highers and BTEC/OCR

or Scottish equivalent qualifications Please list

the qualifications that you will take exams in, in

the 2023/2024 academic year, including your

predicted grades.

If you have qualifications from subjects no

longer continued from Y12, please list the

subjects and grades achieved. Please also list

any existing OCR qualifications and grades.

Please ensure that you are clear as to which are

A levels, which are AS levels, which are BTECs,

and which are OCR qualifications (or the

Scottish equivalents in all cases).

Q.2.2

Does the course you have applied for include

an integrated foundation year?

If your course is a three-year degree course,

please tick ‘no’.

If your course is a four-year course with an

integrated foundation year, please tick ‘yes’.

Please note that an integrated foundation year,

is NOT a foundation degree.

Q.2.3

Does the course you have applied for include a

year in industry/industrial studies?

If your course includes a year in industry, please

tick ‘yes’.

If your course does not include a year in

industry, please tick ‘no’

Q.2.4

What is the funding value you are applying

for?

Note: The amount you can ask for is either

£15,000 (for a 3-year course) or £20,000 (for

a 4-year course).

Q.2.5

Please list all the universities and the

courses that you have applied for, including

the course numbers.

Q.2.6

Please upload screenshot(s) of your UCAS

dashboard, displaying the eligible degree

courses and higher education institutions

you have applied to.

If available, please upload university offer

letters, and/or proof of offers that you have

accepted.

Q.2.7

Where do you hope this qualification will

lead you?

Here you need to describe, in up to 150

words, what plans you have after you finish

your university studies.

In 250 to 300 words, demonstrate your

ability to “think big” and take “ownership”.

Pick a big problem in your school or

your community that you think could be

solved with the help of computer science,

engineering or technology. Describe the

problem, the impact it has, and describe

your “think big” solution that uses computer

science, engineering or technology.

Q.3.4

Tell us how you think computing or

engineering can be used in the future

to address at least one of the UN’s

Sustainable Development Goals.

Innovation and creativity in engineering,

computing and technology are crucial to

solving some of the world’s greatest threats

and challenges. The UN have developed 17

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

to be addressed to ensure a sustainable

future for the world and its population.

Review the list of SDGs at

https://

sustainabledevelopment.un.org/#

Choosing at least one, although you may

choose more, tell us (in 250 to 300 words)

how you think engineering, computing and

technology could be used to address the

challenge(s).

Questions

Section 3 – Case for support

This section is focused on the selection panel

understanding more about you as a person,

your ambition, drive and passion for

computer science, technology and

engineering, and how you want to use it to

make a difference to the world. You may

wish to draft your answer elsewhere (e.g. in

word), so that you can refine it before

submitting your final answer here.

Q.3.1

Why should you be awarded a bursary?

In 250 to 300 words, tell us a bit about

yourself, your goals, and ambitions, and how

this bursary will help you to achieve them.

What sets you apart from others? What

would you use the bursary for? We are also

interested to hear about what has inspired

you to choose computing or engineering.

Q.3.2

How have you used engineering outside of

school?

In 250 to 300 words, highlight how you have

engaged with engineering outside

of your school or college, and how you relate

engineering to your experience/problem-

solving. Tell us about a time when you have

used engineering to identify/solve a problem

outside of school or college, and how you

went about it. You may not have used

engineering to solve

a problem specifically, but you may have

improved something, adapted something,

invented something or been creative with

something. All of these are characteristics of

an engineer!

Q.3.3

Amazon uses 14 leadership principles

to drive it’s business. Every engineer is

expected to “think big” and demonstrate

“ownership”.

Your reference must be on school, college,

or academy letterheaded paper.

If your referee would prefer to upload the

reference themselves, within the portal,

there is an option for you to invite them to

do so.

Section 5 – Confirmation

In this final section it is mandatory to

confirm that all the information provided

in the application is wholly accurate at the

time of submission, and that you have

permission f

rom any person you have

included contact details for, and to use

any additional evidence that you may

have uploaded.

Please note that the Royal Academy of

Engineering will undertake checks as

appropriate, and that any false

information will disqualify you from

receiving the bursary.

Questions

Section 4 – Referee details

The referee must be one of your teachers

or tutors. We advise that you talk to them

before applying for the bursary, to get their

permission to use them as a referee.

Ideally, they will let you have their work

email address so that the Royal Academy

of Engineering can contact them if needed

but, if they do not want to share this with

you, you will need the telephone number

of your school/college/sixth form.

Please upload your reference here

In this box, you need to upload the

reference that your chosen member of

staff has provided for you. This must

include the following: your general

attitude towards your learning, your

attendance rate, your academic standing,

confirmation of the A-levels, BTECs, OCRs,

or the Scottish equivalent you will be

sitting this year, and any other information

they feel is relevant.

Application

timeline

Application deadline

5.00pm on Tuesday 7

May 2024

Applicants will be

notiﬁed whether their

application has been

shortlisted by

July 2024

If shortlisted, you must

be available to attend

an online interview

held in August 2024

Applicants will be

informed of the

Royal Academy

of Engineering’s

decision in August

Applications will be submitted electronically

on the Academy’s GMS, and then reviewed

and assessed by a selection panel comprising

partners and Fellows of the Royal Academy

Engineering.

Contact

If you have any questions

about your eligibility, the

programme, or problems

with your application, please

contact Lauren Pattle at

[email protected]

What we do

Talent & diversity

We’re growing talent by training,

supporting, mentoring and funding the

most talented and creative researchers,

innovators and leaders from across the

engineering profession.

We’re developing skills for the future

by identifying the challenges of an

everchanging world and developing the

skills and approaches we need to build a

resilient and diverse engineering profession.

Innovation

We’re driving innovation by investing in

some of the country’s most creative and

exciting engineering ideas and businesses.

We’re building global partnerships that

bring the world’s best engineers from

industry, entrepreneurship and academia

together to collaborate on creative

innovations that address the greatest global

challenges of our age.

Policy & engagement

We’re inﬂuencing policy through the

National Engineering Policy Centre –

providing independent expert support to

policymakers on issues of importance.

We’re engaging the public by opening

their eyes to the wonders of engineering

and inspiring young people to become the

next generation of engineers.

About us

The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to

build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and

developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global

partnerships, and inﬂuencing policy and engaging the public.

Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.