Ford Scholarships Aim for More U.K. Women Engineers

Ford U.K. is extending its Blue Oval Scholarship program with a new initiative that aims to encourage as many women as men to consider a career in engineering.

Ford of Europe Chief Operating Officer Barb Samardzich announced the move at a recent roundtable conference at the U.K. House of Lords.

The Ford-hosted roundtable follows a recent report showing the region has the lowest proportion of women engineering professionals in Europe, less than 10%. The report calls for concerted action by the profession, industry and government to encourage women’s involvement in engineering.

Ford’s Blue Oval Scholarship program, launched in 2011 to mark 100 years of U.K. manufacturing by the automaker, aims to foster a new generation of engineers, scientists and innovators.

Blue Oval Scholarships of £10,000 ($16,300) each, paid over three years, were awarded to 100 undergraduate students. The initial 2012 group had 25% female scholars and Ford plans a targeted rise in female participation to 50%.

Ford also confirms the funding of 10 additional Blue Oval Scholarships a year. The first 10 will be funded in the 2013-2014 academic year as the automaker partnering with five universities across the U.K.

The program is jointly funded by Ford’s corporate foundation, the Ford Motor Co. Fund, which has supported community engagement programs primarily in the U.S. since 1949.

It recently launched a global initiative called Operation Better World, which seeks to create programs with measurable impact in four key areas: education, auto safety, community needs and sustainability.