A promising Buckinghamshire student has beaten stiff competition to secure a prestigious engineering scholarship with sweets manufacturer HARIBO.

Offered in partnership with the Smallpeice Trust’s Arkwright Engineering Scholarship programme, Charlotte Lampe of Beaconsfield High School will benefit from funding, mentorship and experience - all courtesy of HARIBO.

Charlotte said the news is an "absolute dream come true". She said: "The funding is great because it gives me the freedom to travel and explore the engineering sector, but what I’m most looking forward to is the chance to visit the new state-of-the-art factory in a few weeks, which will take this experience to the next level.

“I also feel like the guidance I’ll get from being personally mentored by a member of the team will help me to really excel.”

Providing funding and mentorship, along with the opportunity to gain valuable industry experience with the UK’s leading confectionery brand, Charlotte, along with four other candidates, will be supported in learning the skills necessary to become engineering leaders of the future.

By choosing to support female candidates, HARIBO hopes to increase gender diversity within the engineering industry, encouraging more women to pursue this type of career within the food and drink sector.

Managing Director of HARIBO Jon Hughes said: “There’s no doubt that a large part of HARIBO’s success is down to our fantastic team that deliver excellence in everything that they do.

“As a brand, we’re passionate about giving back, and what better gift to give than the opportunity for others to learn, excel and develop lifelong skills.

“We’re extremely proud to be sponsoring this group of individuals who have already shown a huge amount of promise. They each have a very bright future ahead of them and we look forward to supporting them on that exciting journey.”

As the most prestigious scholarship scheme of its type in the UK, attracting more than 1,600 applications and awarding 393 places during 2018, the coveted Arkwright Engineering Scholarship gives young people the opportunity to take the first steps into their careers, becoming the leading talents of the future.

A family-owned business, HARIBO has been making much-loved sweets for 100-years. The company has more than 700 team members across two manufacturing facilities in West Yorkshire.