Ford Marks UK Centenary With 100 New University Scholarships

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – May 27, 2011: William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, today announced a major new £1 million UK university scholarship programme in technical and innovation fields to mark 100 years of Ford’s commitment to the UK.

Called the Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme, the scheme will provide 100 student scholarships – one for each year of the company's operation in the UK – at leading universities to encourage a new generation of engineers, scientists and innovators.

The great-grandson of Henry Ford announced the scholarship program at London’s Science Museum to an audience of business leaders, employees and Ford dealer partners.

“Ford has played an important role in the local community and in the development of mass transport over the many decades,” Bill Ford said. “I am pleased to be able to support a new generation of technical innovators that can play a part in shaping the future of mobility in our next 100 years."

With UK university fees set to cost up to £9,000 per annum in the next 18 months, Ford is offering sponsorship of £10,000 per student over a three-year period. These grants will be provided by Ford to support 100 undergraduates on a selection of engineering, science, manufacturing and technology courses at select, leading universities in the UK.

The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme is supported by a new partnership between Ford of Britain and the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.

Ford Fund works with community partners from around the globe to support initiatives in education, driving safety, and heritage and community life. Funding for the scholarships will come from both organisations, with the Ford Fund working with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation to support scholarship winners.

These scholarships are in addition to Ford's latest internship scheme for undergraduates and Ford's ongoing commitment to key apprenticeship programmes in the UK. These are open to all age groups, including current unskilled employees, providing paths to career progression and offering the chance to develop core skills.

Ford of Britain is celebrating both 100 years as a leading marketing and sales operation in the UK, and 100 years since the first Ford, the Model T, was assembled at its Trafford Park facility in Manchester. Ford is reinforcing its relationship with a country which has made it the market leader in car sales for 34 consecutive years and the commercial vehicle sales leader for 45 years.

In the UK, Ford directly employs over 15,000 people, many in highly skilled roles developing and building high-technology, fuel-efficient, low CO2 engines, and with a further 100,000 jobs supported through the Ford supplier chain and dealer network.

Ford's recently announced £1.5 billion investment in low-carbon engineering and manufacturing is helping to underpin the UK's manufacturing and export-based economic recovery. Ford plants at Bridgend in South Wales and Dagenham in East London have the combined capacity to assemble two million engines annually so that one in three Ford vehicles globally can be powered by a UK-built engine. Ford's Dunton Technical Centre in Essex is the global centre of excellence for diesel powertrain R&D and for European commercial vehicles.

Joe Greenwell, chairman of Ford of Britain, said: “Ford of Britain is playing a key role in Ford’s global strategy, and continued investment in the UK will propel us forward into the next 100 years. The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme will help encourage young people to study engineering, science and technology at university. These skills are fundamental to our future industrial base, the rebalancing of the UK economy and long term economic success.”