The Clair Drever Scholarship funds one lucky Orcadian student to be a 2012 Saltire Scholar

Tom Croy, an Orcadian student in his penultimate year of study at the University of Aberdeen has been awarded the 2012 Clair Drever Scholarship to participate in the Saltire Foundation's world class undergraduate internship programme. The Saltire Foundation exisits to find, fuel and spark Scotland's human potential and places Scottish students on paid summer internships with leading companies around the world.

The Clair Drever Scholarship is only open to students in their penultimate year of undergraduate study from Orkney or with a strong connection to the Orkney Islands. Established in 2009, the Scholarship was generously set up by Orkney native Jean Young (known locally as Clair Drever) with the aim of helping youngsters from the Island realise their entrepreneurial talent and business potential while spending a summer working and living abroad

Tom Croy is a third year Law student at the University of Aberdeen and applied to the Saltire Foundation to gain experience in international businesses and the opportunity to perform and impress within a multinational enterprise. After successfully completing the Saltire Foundation's application process he gained an internship position in Hong Kong working for AIA Pension and Trustee Co. and begins his eight week placement in June. Tom is one of over eighty students taking part on the Saltire Foundation internship programme this summer. Upon successfully gaining the Claire Drever Scholarship, Tom met Jean Young in Kirkwall and spoke of the experience:

"It was brilliant getting to meet Jean and spend time chatting with her about the previous Scholarships she has funded over the last few years and to find out how those students are now getting on.

I feel privileged to have been enabled to become part of the history surrounding the Clair Drever Scholarship and to be able to represent the Orkney Islands in the international business world. I will strive to encourage other Orcadian students to do the same thing next year!"

For the foreseeable future the Clair Drever Scholarship has generously pledged to fully fund an Orcadian student's place on the Saltire Foundation's internship programme. Applications for the 2013 Clair Drever Scholarship will be accepted from penultimate year undergraduate students from autumn of this year and students are encouraged to apply.

Tom will be blogging about his progress while working in Hong Kong over summer so you can keep up to date with his internship experiences by reading his blog in the undergraduate blog section of our website from the middle of June.