Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)
Industrial Alliance Bursary Scheme (ABS)
Partners
The Bursary Alliance is a partnership between the University of Portsmouth; industrial partners and; the Geological Society of London. The current list of industrial partners offering a Bursary and placement to students is as follows (click the logo to go to the relevant company's webpage):
Introduction
Associated with the B.Eng Engineering Geology & Geotechnics (sandwich) course is an Industrial Alliance Bursary Scheme which will give financial support to successful students of £1,750 per year in the form of a Bursary. In addition, the Alliance members will normally provide vacation employment and training to the bursary students together with the placement in year 3.
For those wishing to be considered for an Industrial Scholarship it is likely that key qualifications for success will be Maths and Physics A-level but this is not mandatory and each applicant will be assessed on merit rather than strict adherence to qualifications. There is a separate application and interview process for the scholarship scheme as outlined below. Interviews for the Bursary Scheme will be held in April prior to start in October of the same year. All potential scholars should first apply to join the University of Portsmouth Engineering Geology & Geotechnics degree course through UCAS and should then submit a Bursary application form before the end of February. All offers of Bursary are conditional on you joining the undergraduate Engineering Geology & Geotechnics (sandwich) degree at Portsmouth. You may defer entry if taking a gap year.
The interview day will be held at the offices of the Geological Society at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. Once you have been made an offer for a place on the course, you will be emailed a link to the online application form. The information supplied by you will be handled in accordance with the University’s data protection protocol and will be treated as strictly confidential. Your online application must be received by midnight on the last working day in February.
Key Advantages of the Sandwich & Bursary Scheme
The key advantages of the sandwich version of the course, which requires an Industrial Placement in year 3, are:
- Direct links to potential employers through the bursary and sandwich
- £1,750 per year when studying at Portsmouth in Year 1, 2 & 4
- paid employment in year 3
- potential to enhance your exit award by combining practice with theory
- an enhanced employability profile obtained during placement year
- normally an enhanced graduate salary due to relevant experience gained
Matching Process
During October in Year 1 of the course the bursary students will be matched to a company facilitated by a matching day.
The matching process and the finding out about each other is completed through informal contact during the day and over lunch (Employers and students sit at mixed lunch tables and students rotate between courses). Employers see the student details before the day (provided by the University of Portsmouth) and have their "targets" identified. Likewise the students do the same assisted by A4 Flyers prepared in advance by the Alliance members (and distributed by the University of Portsmouth).
Each student and each Alliance member will then be required to submit a preference list to the University. The University will then produce a matrix of the choices and will match a student to an Alliance member. At this point the student is then linked to that company by a formal agreement which will set out the roles and responsibilities of the Alliance member, the student, and the University of Portsmouth.
Prior to the end of December the company must arrange an orientation visit for the student.
Placements
The industrial partners will be responsible for arranging placements for their bursary student for; normally eight weeks during the summer at the end of Year 1 (between June and the end of August) and; normally 44 weeks at the end of Year 2.
