Fife College engineering students awarded prestigious Shell scholarships at Mossmorran

Four Fife College students have been given a timely boost to their career prospects after they were awarded a prestigious scholarship by Shell UK.

Engineering students Sean Tyrell, Craig Reid, Fiona MacDonald, and Nathan Wragg have all received scholarship awards of £1,000 each from the energy company.

Awarded through the Adam Smith Scholarships programme, part of Fife College, the Shell UK Scholarship recognises academic ability as well as a commitment to studies with the aim of progressing in the energy industry.

The scholarship awards, which have been offered by Shell since 2009, can be used by the students to purchase equipment and materials to support their studies and to progress onto another course or into employment within the sector.

HNC Electrical Engineering students Sean and Craig, and HNC Mechanical Engineering student Fiona, were awarded their scholarships during a special visit and tour of Shell UK’s Fife NGL Plant at Mossmorran. Fourth scholarship winner Nathan was, unfortunately, unable to attend on the day of the visit.

This was the first time the scholarships have been awarded at Fife NGL. Sean, Craig and Fiona were greeted at the plant by Mairi McKay, Community Liaison Officer and were introduced to the facility by Craig Burnett, Plant Manager.

Craig also gave a bit of background to his career at Shell, as well as giving some career advice on how to get into the industry. The students were then taken on a tour of the site by Engineering Lead, Tyne Bradley.

Sean Tyrell, from Markinch, said:

“The visit to Mossmorran was very interesting and a great way to experience how engineering professionals worked day-to-day.

“As someone who has worked in hospitality throughout my twenties, the Shell scholarship award and recognition of my academic achievements have boosted my confidence as I start my new career within renewable energy.”

Craig Reid, from Dunfermline, said:

“It was an honour to be invited to Mossmorran. A facility that has always been on my doorstep, I found it very interesting to learn exactly how the plant operated and what is processed.

“The staff who we met were very informative and answered all my questions. Who knows, hopefully, one day I may be back in a work capacity.”

Fiona MacDonald, from Edinburgh, said:

“The visit was a great opportunity to see many of the topics I study in action and applied in an industry setting. I will be using the scholarship from Shell to access more courses to enhance my skills and knowledge in the engineering field.”

Craig Burnett, Plant Manager at Shell UK’s Fife NGL (Natural Gas Liquids) Plant, said:

“By linking real-life and learning experiences we aim to nurture the next generation of problem-solvers, leaders, and innovators, as well as grow the UK’s skills base and pipeline of scientists and engineers.

“We were delighted to welcome Sean, Craig and Fiona to the plant to present them with their scholarship awards – I hope they enjoyed their visit.

“Congratulations to all four of our Adam Smith Scholarship winners this year. They are each very much deserving of their award. I’m confident they can go on to enjoy exciting and fulfilling careers in the energy sector in the future.”

Lyn Gold, Scholarship and Alumni Engagement Lead at Fife College, said:

“We were delighted to visit the Fife NGL Plant – what an amazing opportunity for our students to get up close to a working plant and find out more about the technology, as well as seeing just where the support for their scholarship comes from.

“Sean, Fiona, Craig, and Nathan are very deserving winners of this year’s scholarship awards. Receiving these awards will provide a financial boost for them but having a global company like Shell on their CVs will also really help them stand out from the crowd when they take their next steps.”