Scholarship and placement offered to Magee engineering students

Ulster University’s Magee campus, in conjunction with firmus energy networks (FEN), has announced the recipient of the second annual Renewable Energy Scholarship.

Providing support totalling over £25,000, this year’s overall scholarship award winner is Thomas Edwards – a 20-year-old Renewable Energy Engineering Student from Craigavon.

Applications initially opened back in March and, once again, the quality – and volume – of submissions from students based at the Derry campus were very high.

However, course leaders and firmus energy networks’ Human Resources Manager, Olga Pollock, agreed that Thomas was the one candidate who stood out from everyone else.

“Investing in education – and providing hands-on experience – can help these talented individuals reach their absolute potential, and also help nurture the next generation of engineers here in Northern Ireland,” said Olga.

“A deserving winner, Thomas is set to gain practical experience in an established engineering environment within the gas industry. I have no doubt he will make the most of this scholarship and use it to his full advantage.”

The scholarship comprises an attractive annual bursary, paid summer placements, year-long industrial placement, professional mentorship and support, and the opportunity to apply to firmus energy networks’ Graduate Engineer Programme once Thomas graduates.

He believes this great opportunity is going to help equip him with the skillset he needs as Northern Ireland’s energy sector continues its transition to a carbon-neutral future.

Thomas – who is a student at Magee’s School of Computing, Engineering, and Intelligent Systems – said: “I wanted to apply for this scholarship knowing that it will allow me to gain first-hand experience, obtain new industry-specific skills, and more importantly help as society moves toward a carbon-neutral future. I’m excited to see how the local energy industry functions day-to-day – and I look forward to getting to play my part in this.”

Given the high calibre of applicants shortlisted – and subsequently interviewed – for the 2025 Renewable Energy Scholarship, it was felt that an additional summer placement at firmus energy networks’ headquarters should be offered to Thomas’s classmate, Pierce McCloskey – a 19-year-old who lives in the Claudy area.

“This placement is a superb way for me to learn ‘on the job’,” said Pierce.

“It will allow me to understand first-hand how engineering works beyond the classroom, while giving me the chance to learn from real-life projects, figure out exactly what parts of the field interest me the most, and start to build experience that matters,” he added.

firmus energy networks continues to play a key role in the implementation of strategies to reduce greenhouse emissions across their operations, including the recent large-scale installation of solar panels and electric vehicle charge points at its offices in Antrim.