Aircraft lessor GECAS and the University of Limerick School of Engineering launched Ireland’s first Women in Aviation Scholarship to help drive increased engagement by female students in aeronautical engineering.

Beginning this year, GECAS will provide a scholarship each year to one qualifying first-year female student of the UL Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering course. The successful student will be awarded a €5,000 ($5,496) bursary for each year of her studies, meaning a total of €20,000 ($21,985) will have been granted by the time of their graduation.

Through this initiative, GECAS is leading the Irish aviation leasing sector in helping drive female engagement of Irish aeronautical engineers, starting from the ground-up. As a major employer in the region, GECAS is keen to spearhead this initiative with the University of Limerick.

Speaking at the launch, David Campbell, head of Technical, GECAS, said, “It is estimated that only around 10% of aeronautical engineering students in Ireland are female. We want to change that metric. The goal of this scholarship is to encourage, and more importantly, support the development of the next generation of women in aviation, particularly in the engineering space. GECAS understands very well that diverse teams offer great advantages to organisations, so it is vital that we play our part to ensure a strong pipeline of female talent into our industry.”

Sarah Hartnett, director of Development, University of Limerick Foundation said, “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with GECAS. The under-representation of women pursuing careers in the aeronautical engineering space is a concern. However, through the support of organisations such as GECAS, we can work towards encouraging young women into fields that they might not initially consider and highlight to them the fantastic career avenues that exist.”

The program is open to female students of the University of Limerick’s Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering and begins with first year students. Each year, one new first year student will be awarded the scholarship, with the bursary continuing for each year of the course. The scholarship will be awarded based on academic achievement and passion for aviation.

The University of Limerick is an independent, internationally focused university with more than 15,000 students and 1,400 staff.