Kainos Professional Development Grant

Are you a first-year undergraduate woman currently studying Computing or Digital Technology? Do you want to supercharge your career and grow your professional network? If so, you could be eligible to apply for the Kainos Professional Development grant which includes:

A scholarship fund of £1,000
Access to an industry mentor to enhance your professional development
Access to industry work experience

What is the Kainos Professional Development Grant?

This grant opportunity has been designed to support undergraduate women, and is inclusive of non-binary and transgender people in the study of a computing related degree, at Birmingham City University, within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. The grant will allow students to purchase digital devices, books, and support general living costs.

That’s not all! Students are guaranteed an industry mentor to enable them to take their career to the next level and gain invaluable insights to the technology industry. Students will also have access to 4 days of industry work experience opportunities across the academic year to learn about the latest technology developments through an industry lens.

Note: Work experience is on a voluntary basis

How to apply

If you wish to apply for the grant, you’ll need to demonstrate a commitment to the mentoring scheme, work experience and developing a successful career in Computing. You’ll be asked to do this by submitting answers to the following questions:

Please tell us about your current ideas for your future career, and why you chose to pursue this area (up to 200 words).
In your own words, please explain how a career in technology can benefit our society (up to 300 words).
If you were awarded this grant, please explain how you plan to use it and how the grant would support your journey into a career in technology (up to 300 words) - this could include things such as caring responsibilities, additional learning needs or that you are first person in the family to go to university. You will need to state how the grant would help your journey into a career in technology, and how you might plan to use the grant.

You will also need to declare that you have not received any additional grants, bursaries or scholarships from other sources (this does not include Student Finance).

Your application will be judged by a panel comprising members of the University and the sponsoring company, Kainos.

The panel will assess student’s suitability and motivation for the grant using a scoring matrix, the typical criteria include:

First year undergraduate women from CDT-based courses with a further emphasis on those from economically disadvantaged areas
First year undergraduate women who demonstrate a commitment and success in computer programming through their previous and current studies and/or extra curricula activities

If successful, you will need to sign a grant agreement to specify that you will participate in the mentoring programme and engage with the sponsor company, Kainos.

Apply now

Who is eligible for the Kainos grant?

You are eligible to apply for the scholarship if:

You are a first-year undergraduate women currently studying a full-time Computing related degree, at Birmingham City University, within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.
You are an undergraduate woman, this opportunity is inclusive of non-binary and transgender people.
You are aged 18+

What are the timeframes?

Applications open: NOW
Applications close: 15 December 2023
Successful recipients to be notified by Friday 22 December 2023

Can I get support with my application?

Yes, please book an appointment with a member of the Careers+ team via the Careers+ website. For more information, please contact cebecareers@bcu.ac.uk.