Limerick engineering company awards bursaries to students

KIRBY Group Engineering has awarded bursaries to four students at third level colleges across Ireland.

In a bid to promote gender diversity in engineering and construction, the Raheen company sought applications for educational funding from women studying electrical, mechanical or building services engineering.

Kirby’s senior management team finalised the list of winners following a selection process involving two rounds of interviews scored against specific criteria and competencies.

The bursary recipients will benefit from a full scholarship to cover the academic year 2022/23, paid professional placements on some of Kirby’s cutting edge engineering projects, professional mentorship with experienced senior engineers and the chance to become Kirby's ambassador at their third level institution.

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One of the winners, Zofia Suchan, who attends the Technological University of the Shannon (Tus) in Moylish, believes that it’s really important for female engineers to get opportunities like these.

"Seeing more females in the sector will help younger girls feel confident in choosing engineering as a career path. This type of visibility normalises women in engineering, and also provides a support network among females in the industry," she said.

There was another recipient studying in Limerick - Rosa Condori, a second year student also at Tus.

Talent acquisition specialist Patrick Reid led the bursary programme internally at Kirby and said: "We’ve seen first hand how a diverse workforce enriches a team and that’s an atmosphere we want to promote, sector-wide. I’d like to thank the third level institutions who have supported our scheme from the very start - this would not have been possible without them. I look forward to seeing the students build their exciting futures as engineers, with help from Kirby."

Kirby group managing ditrector Mark Flanagan added this is an important investment for the company:

“Companies like ours have an important role to play in driving change in engineering and construction. The sector is evolving rapidly thanks to emerging technologies and there are more exciting opportunities than ever before. We need the best of talent for Irish companies and this bursary programme is designed to ensure women feel they have a place in our industry. I’d like to wish our recipients best of luck - I’m looking forward to seeing them progress through their education and creating the amazing careers they deserve," he said.

Headquartered in Limerick, Kirby directly employs over 1,300 people and had a turnover last year of more than €400m.