Elgin student nets a £1000 boost from Chivas bursary scheme

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Claire Park (inset) from Elgin receives £1000 from Chivas

FOUR STUDENTS INCLUDING one from Moray have been awarded a total of £4500 in funding from the Chivas Brothers’ national bursary scheme.

Held in partnership with the Scottish International Educational Trust (SIET), the sought-after scheme offers financial support to ambitious employees and their family members, helping them to realise their aspirations through further education or vocational training.

Announced on Thursday, this year’s successful recipients are Claire Park, who is studying Applied Science at Moray College. She is joined by Lauren Evans, a Forensic and Analytical Chemistry student from West Dunbartonshire, Paul McFadden, an aspiring programmer from Glasgow, and Eilidh Ross, a Human Rights and International Politics student at the University of Glasgow.

Claire, 26 and from Elgin, first heard about the bursary opportunity from her step-father Fenton Perrie,, who works as a Project Engineer at Chivas Brothers. Awarded a total of £1000, this bursary will help her to fund a higher mathematics course and allow her to purchase study materials for her HNC in Applied Sciences.

Claire said: “I worked as a healthcare assistant from the age of 15 and then last year I decided to go to college to help boost my skills and grow my career prospects.

“I’m absolutely over the moon to have been selected for this year’s bursary as it means I will now be able to focus on my studies and not worry about any extra costs. Ultimately, I want to move on to study for a degree in Applied Sciences or Pharmacy, and I’m really thankful to Chivas Brothers for helping me to take the next step on my education journey.”

Chivas Brothers’ national bursary scheme launched to great acclaim last year – it has already contributed towards the studies of an aeronautical engineer, a budding actress and a Classics student at Cambridge University.

The scheme is open to all 1600 of Chivas Brothers’ employees and direct family members, providing them with the opportunity to secure funding of up to £5000 a year. The scheme will run for three years, this being its second.

Jennie Norrish, Global Communications Director at Chivas Brothers, added: “We’re really proud to be able to support our employees and their family members to realise their ambitions.

“Our 2017 bursary recipients have so much talent and each of them has a real passion and determination to achieve their dreams. This entrepreneurial mind-set is something we really champion at Chivas Brothers, so it’s fantastic to be able to relieve some of the financial pressures that come with studying full time. We can’t wait to see how the funding helps them over the next year.”

Michael Ewart, Director of SIET, a body which provides talented individuals with grants to complete further education studies, added: “This bursary is such a worthwhile initiative and we’re delighted to be able to support a second cohort of students on their education journey.

“The scheme shows Chivas Brothers’ dedication to championing the success of its employees and their family members.”