Success for SELA's second cohort

Fourteen first year engineering students have been chosen to be part of the 2015 SELA cohort, the second since the leadership programme launched last year.

The candidates won their places on the prestigious programme through a rigorous selection process, involving a detailed application and interview.

The fourteen chosen are studying a wide range of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, structural, automatic control and systems engineering and materials science and engineering.

Mechanical engineering student and keen sportsman, Sam Barnes, was drawn to the subject through his love of cars and bikes, having spent most of his teenage years mending and maintaining his bicycles at home.  He hopes one day to run his own engineering business and says of the SELA programme: “I’m looking forward to learning how best to combine the knowledge gained from my degree with the management and leadership skills that SELA offers, to become a successful engineer.”

Beth Fenna became interested in engineering following volunteer work abroad, which made her keen to learn how engineering knowledge can be used to solve global issues. She is studying Structural Engineering and Architecture and is interested in how collaborations work between the two disciplines. “I’m looking forward to gaining valuable insight from the industry’s leaders through SELA, as well as working alongside and learning from other members of the programme,” she says.

Ben Quickfall hopes SELA will help him to develop into a well-rounded engineer, by improving his interpersonal and leadership skills. His degree – in Mechatronics and Robotics – already combines aspects of several of the traditional engineering  disciplines, including control, mechanical and electrical engineering. “It’s quite a niche subject, but very diverse, which was what attracted me to it,” he says. “Combining the technical knowledge I gain from my studies with the skills gained through SELA will be beneficial. I’m particularly looking forward to working on the programme’s long-term project with the rest of the cohort.”