The major part of the Company's charitable giving is expended on education,
mostly in the form of bursaries, grants and scholarships to support, in the main,
postgraduate students; research; museums and other educational bodies.
The main beneficiaries of the bursaries have been students of the University of
Birmingham, the University of Nottingham, the University of Portsmouth and the
Guildhall School of Music. The MSc student at Birmingham whom the Company
supported won a prize for the outstanding quality of her dissertation on highway
maintenance and management. The bursary made to the Guildhall School of Music
should be seen as the Company pulling its weight in terms of maintaining the
cultural dimension of the City. The candidates have all been of high calibre, and
some have also performed for their “suppers” at Company dinners.
The travel grants have also proved very worthy, enabling recipients to gain a wider
view of the world in relation to their chosen course, to develop their skills in report
writing and to learn to work as a team, since most grants go to a two or three person
team. Another plus that has come from these grants is the establishment of
international contacts which will further benefit the University and, more widely,
UK plc.
On the scholarship front, the Company is pleased to be taking forward two new
awards. Firstly, the Company is offering the Paviors Laing Award for postgraduate
civil engineering students at Imperial College. The other award is through the
Institution of Civil Engineers QUEST Scholarship Scheme.
In 1995, the Company established the Roadmakers’ Museum at the Amberley
Industrial Museum, to raise awareness of the history and technology of highways,
and also to provide support for the Ironbridge Museum.
The Company’s support for schools has not only involved some financial resources
but also members giving of their time. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Business Education Partnership has helped the Company to develop this initiative.
Currently, the Company has a close relationship through a member’s involvement
with Our Lady School in Limehouse, and also has piloted an initiative to help
school leavers.
Overall, there is much happening on the education front, and there is plenty of room
for members to become involved.