A SCHOOL girl from East Yorkshire has been picked out as a future leader in engineering after a prestigious award win.

Pocklington School lower sixth student Naomi Allison has been awarded an engineering scholarship by the Arkwright Scholarships Trust at an awards ceremony in London for the UK's most talented STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) students.

The sixth form scholarships, awarded to GCSE design students, are highly regarded by university admissions tutors and industry recruiters.

They consist of an annual financial award, invitations to a range of activities to complement their sixth form studies and mentoring support.

The scholarships are supported by the UK's top engineering employers and organisations, who use them to pinpoint future stars. Naomi's scholarship is supported by technology and engineering recruitment firm ARM.

Robert Hannigan, Director at GCHQ, who presented Naomi with her award, said: "I was delighted to meet such a vast pool of young talent: our future leaders in engineering, computing and technology.

"We need their innovation and invention to meet the cyber-security challenge, helping to keep the UK a safe place to live and work online."

Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessing their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM. The rigorous selection process includes a two-hour, problem-solving aptitude exam and a university-based interview.

Naomi said: "I have always been passionate about engineering and the Arkwright Scholarship helped me to realise that I could have a future in the industry. I found the selection process quite a challenge, but I had excellent help through the School and it was a good experience, which was useful preparation for university applications. After school I'd like a career in electronic engineering and I hope the sponsorship from ARM will help with this."

Steve Ellis, head of design and technology at Pocklington School, said: "Naomi stands out because of her passion and interest in the subject, her depth of knowledge and her willingness to learn. She is interested in the broader world outside her school syllabus; during her GCSEs she was also working on her own project to develop a prosthetic hand. You couldn't meet a more deserving student, and I am sure she will go on to be a very able representative of the engineering profession."