A SHORTAGE of skilled engineers has led one North-East firm to launch a bursary scheme funding students through university.

Electric and hybrid vehicle company Sevcon said it had launched the £200,000 scheme in partnership with both Newcastle and Northumbria Universities after struggling to find suitable recruits in the region.

Having already recruited two undergraduates to the scheme Sevcon says it is preparing fund another six students at the two institutions over the coming years, an outlay of more than £200,000.

Following Newcastle University student Ehsan Dehghan-Azad’s recruitment last autumn the firm has recently taken Northumbria University computing student Danielle Walsh, 20, on to the scheme.

Sevcon will pay her annual £8,500 tuition fees and on completion she will take up a software engineering post at the Team Valley-based company.

Sevcon is a world leader in the supply of motor controls for electric and hybrid vehicles for firms including Renault, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, and Hyundai, employing more than 60 engineers at its North-East headquarters.

Sevcon chief executive Matt Boyle, said: “We need a supply of high-quality engineers to remain at the forefront of our industry.

“It’s a struggle to get the right quality people so we decided to grow our own.”