Young Enterprise & BP launch STEM scholarship for students

As the next generation of New Zealand entrepreneurs progress through their education, they are receiving more encouragement to venture into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Young Enterprise and BP are two companies behind the encouragement and they have now launched a new scholarship programme for year 12 and 13 students who take STEM subjects.

The BP Innovation Scholarship programme is aimed at students who have participated in a Young Enterprise programme. The scholarship will award five of those students $1000 to go towards study-related costs for their first year of tertiary education in 2019.

"We feel so proud to have a partnership of 25 years with Young Enterprise whose purpose is to foster leadership, develop entrepreneurial skills, and build innovative minds for the future," says BP New Zealand managing director Debi Boffa.

Boffa adds that the scheme is about giving back and inspiring and supporting New Zealand's future innovative leaders to make the most of the opportunities before them.

"We hope that the BP Innovation Scholarship programme will encourage and enable students with a passion for innovation to go after their dreams and big ideas.

"Young Enterprise and BP New Zealand have been working together since 1993 on a range of programmes, including the BP Business Challenge which was introduced five years ago.

The BP Business Challenge was part of Auckland Girls' Grammar School's three-day event. The event, organised by Young Enterprise, challenged year 11 students to brainstorm, prototype, and present a business idea.

Debi Boffa was a judge at the event and said to recognise the amazing contribution the school is making in the lives of it students, one of the five 2018 scholarship recipients will be a student from Auckland Girls' Grammar School.

According to Auckland Girls' Grammar School principal Ngaire Ashmore, "Young Enterprise offer that really challenge our students and help them to take calculated risks and explore big ideas in a supportive environment.

"We are so excited to be celebrating this 25-year milestone with our longest standing supporter, BP, and what better way to celebrate than by contributing directly to some of our most innovative and passionate students and the futures they want to pursue after school," comments Young Enterprise CEO Terry Shubkin.

"This really is a wonderful way to acknowledge 25 years of partnership in supporting the next generation of NZ business leaders.

Applications for this year's scholarship open on 21 September and close on 16 November, 2018. Any Year 12 or 13 student who has participated in a BP Business Challenge or Young Enterprise programme may apply.