It’s not just about the numbers The Scrutton Bland Scholarship gives a boost to both finances and confidence
From left to right: Jon Anscombe, Stacey East, Tim O’Connor
T he Scrutton Bland Scholarship is an annual award given to an undergraduate studying a finance- related degree at Anglia Ruskin University’s Faculty of Business and Law. The £500 award is presented to the student with the highest marks at the end of their first year, and this years’ award was presented to Stacey East by Tim O’Connor, a Corporate Services Partner at Scrutton Bland. Adviser spoke to Stacey about her experience of studying accountancy and finance, and to Jon Anscombe, Development Manager at ARU about the way the university is evolving within an increasingly competitive education sector. The Faculty of Business and Law is one of the largest business schools in the UK, with campuses at Cambridge and Chelmsford. Stacey explained that she studied economics at A level and then attended an open day at Anglia Ruskin, when she decided that the accounting and finance fitted with what she was looking for. “I’m more interested in management accounting than purely finance, and I had done some work experience which convinced me that I wanted to work in areas like cost prediction and analysis.”
So what difference has receiving Scrutton Bland’s scholarship made to Stacey? “Obviously it’s great to have that financial help,” she explained. “But it’s also given me a huge lift to my self confidence in my own capabilities. For example, since winning the award I have set up an accounting society at ARU, which I’d never have had the nerve to do beforehand.” ARU’s Jon Anscombe stressed the importance of creating a student environment which is relatable to a real-life context. “The business world is changing so fast, and we need to make sure that our students have the most relevant content on our courses. We also need to generate interest from up and coming students: “Our Bloomberg labs are used by local schoolchildren for special “trading events” and our School of Medicine runs a programme of events to engage with schoolchildren throughout the year. ARU is committed to developing strong ties with employers and business across the region. We can work with them to secure placements for our students, and businesses can provide guest lecturers and mentoring to give extra support.”
Tim O’Connor at Scrutton Bland agrees that there are mutual benefits for professional companies working with higher education establishments. “The competition for good candidates in finance and accounting is fierce. It’s tempting for students to look to London to work for the ‘big four’ but that can sometimes be a false move. These huge firms will often focus on a very narrow skill set, and if you find you don’t like the work, or they don’t like what you’re doing, you may well be on the next train home. A smaller firm can give you experience in several departments, to help you find what you’re good at and enjoy, and the right area of the business to work in. At Scrutton Bland we have a broad spectrum of financial services to choose from, and plenty of support as your career progresses; we have lots of examples of people who have joined straight from school or university who have risen through the ranks to a senior role.”
For more information on Anglia Ruskin University please see www.anglia.ac.uk
If you would like to find out more about a career in financial services or the opportunities available at Scrutton Bland, visit the careers section of the website www.scruttonbland.co.uk
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