Fifth ECS student in UKESF Scholar of the Year final

For the fourth year in succession, a student in Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton has been named as a finalist for the title ‘United Kingdom Electronic Skills Foundation Scholar of the Year’.

Josh Oldfield, third-year student on the MEng Electronic Engineering programme, is one of two finalists in this year’s competition, which has involved students from all the UK’s leading engineering departments. The winner will be announced at the National Microelectronics Institute annual dinner in London on Thursday 20 November.

Josh has held a UKESF Scholarship since 2013 and this summer completed a placement with ARM as part of his programme, working with the Verification Intellectual Property Team in Sheffield.

He is positive about the opportunities created by the UKESF programme. 'The UKESF programme has really helped my development as an engineer,' he said. ‘It gave me a chance to develop and test my skills in the engineering workplace, as well as developing my interpersonal skills, and helping the next generation of students start their engineering careers.’

Josh is the fifth ECS student to reach the final of the Scholar of the Year competition since it was instituted in 2011. In that year two ECS students were named as finalists, with the title won by Adam Malpass, with Tom Dell runner-up; in 2012 Samuel Hipkin was runner-up, and last year the title was won by Ashley Robinson, who graduated from ECS earlier this year.

‘We are very proud of our students’ achievements in UKESF,’ said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS. ‘They have an excellent record in achieving Scholarships, and to have five students reach the finals of Scholar of the Year is outstanding recognition of their ability to transfer their skills from the classroom to the industrial context.

'As a department with close links to the UK electronics industry, we thoroughly support the aspirations of UKESF in highlighting the outstanding career opportunities that are open to electronic engineering graduates. We work closely with the leading companies in the UK and worldwide, and are extremely proud of the contribution that our graduates continue to make to the development of electronics.'

UKESF is a collaboration between industry, universities and the public sector, which promotes the electronics industry and its value to society and the economy, and aims to secure a sustainable supply of quality and industry-prepared graduates. It offers a sector-specific programme for employers in the electronics sector to engage with young people at school and university through to graduate employment.