Students studying in the area of securities and investments can now benefit from a new dedicated educational trust fund set up by the Securities & Investment Institute. It is the first time that the SII has itself set aside funds to encourage excellence amongst students and so financially support the valuable work in the education sector.
The new SII Educational Trust has an initial fund of £120,000, which includes the remaining portion of the Stephen Cooke Memorial Fund, and will enable students, primarily at postgraduate level, to compete for scholarships. Initially the Trust will focus on providing dedicated scholarships for the SII's Centres of Excellence, which are currently the Cass Business School at City University, the ICMA Centre at University of Reading, the University of Edinburgh, and Exeter XFi Centre. It is also anticipated that there will be wider opportunities for students from other educational establishments to compete for scholarship opportunities.
The SII Educational Trust's objects cover the promotion of the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the field of securities and investments, through education and research. The Trustees are industry practitioners with financial services expertise.
The Trust will also act as an umbrella fund for the existing two scholarships which are currently offered through the generosity of practitioners in the securities and investment sector: the Euroclear Prize in Memory of Andrew Winckler, given for the most outstanding result in the SII's Diploma in Investment Compliance, and the Stephen Cooke Award, given for an outstanding essay set by the trustees followed by a test and an interview.
