Build early relationships with high-calibre electronics students who contribute meaningfully during placements, and often become strong future hires.

 

About the UKESF Scholarship Scheme

For over 15 years, the UKESF Scholarship Scheme has been working with leading Electronics and Technology employers to provide opportunities for industry placements, employability skills development and financial support to students.

Scholars are sponsored by an employer throughout their degree. They will participate in work experience (from 8 weeks to 12 months per year) at their employer and they will receive an annual bursary, as well as benefit from additional wrap-around support from the UKESF.

If you would like to take part in the Scholarship Scheme, or would like to discuss how it can benefit your organisation, get in touch:

Lucy Edmondson
[email protected]
Request a call

Why do employers participate in the UKESF Scholarship Scheme?

Connect with high-calibre future Engineers

The UKESF will promote your opportunity to high-performing Electronics students from 30 leading UK universities, and connect you with the most suitable candidates. This enables you to build early relationships and develop the talent you need, before graduate recruitment begins.​

Many employers continue participating because Scholars integrate well into engineering teams and often become strong future hires.

Meaningful engineering contribution

UKESF Scholars contribute to real engineering work across areas such as FPGA verification, embedded systems, automation, software development and hardware design.​

Employers are often surprised by how quickly motivated Scholars begin contributing within technical teams. Each Scholar receives wrap-around support to help them develop their work-ready skills.

Long-term talent relationships

The scheme helps employers build earlier and deeper visibility of engineering capability through placements, mentoring and ongoing engagement over time.​ This supports more confident hiring decisions, reduced recruitment risk and stronger long-term talent development.

Structured support and trusted delivery

Over 100 employers have participated in the Award-winning Scheme since it began in 2010, many of whom work with us year-on-year. An established delivery model, working with 30 partner universities, helps employers engage with future electronics talent through a trusted national network.​

Beyond the placement itself, scholars engage in additional professional development, industry activities and peer networking through the wider UKESF Scholar community.

In a 2025 survey, 100% of employers responded that they would recommend the UKESF Scholarship Scheme. To date, we have worked with more than 100 employers to support over 900 undergraduates.

How Scholars contribute within engineering teams

UKESF Scholars contribute meaningfully within engineering teams while developing valuable technical and professional experience throughout their placements. The examples below highlight some of the projects, technologies and technical environments Scholars have been involved with.

Nathan
Blighter Surveillance Systems

Investigated and designed circuitry to bias an RF GaN power amplifier, evaluating candidate components using RF lab equipment and designing associated circuitry in Altium Designer.

Technologies: RF engineering • GaN amplifiers • Altium Designer • Circuit design

Jack
MAC Ltd

Developed an AES-GCM encryption and decryption system in VHDL, creating MATLAB models and implementing FPGA block designs in Vivado to optimise logic speed and area.

Technologies: FPGA • VHDL • MATLAB • Vivado • Encryption systems

Grace
Viper Innovations

Contributed across both R&D and software teams, helping develop an Azure IoT Edge framework using Python and Raspberry Pi HATs, alongside modifications to production web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Technologies: Python • Azure IoT Edge • Raspberry Pi • HTML/CSS/JavaScript

Lady
Cadence Design Systems

Worked within the RTL-to-GDSII design flow using Cadence Genus and Innovus tools, supporting customer debugging activities involving RTL coding, simulations, Verilog and Linux-based environments.

Technologies: RTL-to-GDSII • Verilog • Cadence Genus • Innovus • Linux • TCL

 

Samarth
Collins Aerospace

Developed a motor control system in MATLAB Simulink for a power electronics application, building increasingly complex control models to create a realistic engineering framework for real-world systems development.

Technologies: MATLAB Simulink • Control systems • Motor control • Power electronics

Rachel
Nordson

Designed and built a motor and sensor control rig, developing a GUI to automate data collection from sensors while gaining experience in C++ programming, cable assembly and 3D printing.

Technologies: C++ • Sensor systems • GUI development • Motor control • 3D printing

Get involved in the UKESF Scholarship Scheme

If you would like to offer one, or more, Scholarships to undergraduates at our 30 Partner Universities, get in touch with us by email at [email protected].

What employers say about the Scheme

"The UKESF has been a consistent source of exceptional talent for EnSilica over many years. Their Scholars have grown into some of our strongest contributors, bringing energy, capability and a deep passion for chip design."

“The UKESF is great because we don’t have to go anywhere near graduate recruitment centres, which can be a horrendous experience! The UKESF reaches out to everyone on our behalf and broadens access to universities. It attracts the best students, which is what we need, and past scholars are great to attract new students.”

“We have seen many excellent students through the UKESF Scholarship Scheme, which is why we continue to support the UKESF programme and we look forward to our next cohort of scholars.”

“We are really pleased to be a part of the UKESF and it is a great service. If you haven’t got a lot of experience in attracting graduates, UKESF should be the first place you go.”

UKESF Skills Charter

The UKESF Skills Charter 2025 recognised 33 employers for their commitment to equipping the next generation of engineers with technical and non-technical skills needed by our industry.

Princess Royal Training Award

In 2025, our Scholarship Scheme was awarded a prestigious Princess Royal Training Award, for the second time, testament to the valuable work experience that our network of employers provides, and the in-depth wrap-around support that helps undergraduates to thrive when they enter the workplace.

 

Experience of delivering national Electronics skills programmes

In addition to our long running Scholarship Scheme, the UKESF has delivered a number of successful national and local skills programmes. Examples include:

  • Primary Electronics – An evidence informed Electronics classroom activity which allows children to learn through doing. The programme encourages 9-11 year olds to better understand the STEM attributes they already possess.
  • Girls into Electronics – Sponsored by Apple, more than 1,500 girls have participated in one-day events held at universities nationwide.
  • Electronics Everywhere – More than 900 UK secondary schools with sixth forms use these resources to teach Electronics in an engaging way.
  • Semiconductor: Skills, Talent and Education Programme – This £4.75m Government-funded programme consisted of four connected semiconductor skills projects, from schools’ outreach through to post-graduate training.