The Arup Education Trust (AET) is pleased to announce the excellent pass rates of its learners studying across the built environment disciplines during the last academic year. Six bursary beneficiaries successfully graduated and a 91% pass rate was achieved across all courses undertaken by AET students in 2017.
 
The AET was launched in 2011 with a mandate to improve the lives of disadvantaged learners through education. Aamena Desai, a trustee for the AET and a senior urban designer from Arup’s Integrated Planning and Development team said, “We are particularly pleased to see our students performing so well at universities around the country. Our holistic approach to assisting recipients of the AET Bursary Scheme is making an impact. Twenty-three students passed with distinction in 2017, with women making up 61% – a great achievement in a predominantly male discipline. We believe that the AET is doing its bit to change the current under representation of women in built environment disciplines at tertiary level.
 
“During the last academic year, the AET has fully funded 13 tertiary students across South Africa and has given support to 40 high school learners through our partnerships with learner support programmes such as ‘The Chosen’ and ‘Tomorrow Trust’. Our commitment to assisting learners with the provision of safe and accessible accommodation, networking and career guidance, learning supplies and personal and emotional support is essential to provide the necessary stability needed during their studies.
 
“We are aware of the difficulties new graduates face in securing employment, and endeavour to place our graduates within the Arup Group, or assist them in finding opportunities elsewhere within the industry.” Desai concluded: “the AET’s wider role is to cultivate diverse future leaders in the built environment, who are empowered to play a role in the development of society”.