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e-skills UK congratulates Scottish students on winning Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards

e-skills UK today congratulated the achievement of four graduates of Scottish universities on winning the 2006 Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards.  The awards were presented at SoftScot, the annual conference for Scotland's IT industry, sponsored by e-skills UK. 

First prize was awarded to Nicholas O'Shea from the University of Edinburgh and second prize to Zibi Kweka from Napier University.  Their winning projects both focused on using software to detect and protect against criminal activity. The third and fourth prizes went to Jodie Johnston from the University of Glasgow and Peter Watson from the University of Dundee.  Their projects explored the use of technology to help people with disabilities.

Karen Price, Chief Executive, e-skills UK said: "We are delighted to be supporting the Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards this year. The talent and creativity shown by the winners is extremely encouraging for the future of the software industry in Scotland.  We hope that their achievements will inspire other young people to consider a career in technology."

Michael Kowbel, Manager for Scotland at e-skills UK added: "As the employer-led Sector Skills Council for IT and Telecoms, e-skill UK is committed to supporting the IT sector in Scotland, helping to ensure Scottish employers have the skills they need to compete in the global economy. 

 "The e-skills UK Scottish Employers Forum, which includes representatives from Oracle, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Scotsys, and Sopra Newell and Budge, sets the priorities and overal direction for our work in Scotland.  We also collaborate closely with the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Local Authorities to deliver our programmes."

The Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards are organised by ScotlandIS, the trade association for software and IT in Scotland, and are given for the best undergraduate software projects drawn from across all students studying computer science and software engineering at Scottish universities.

Posted on 12 Oct 2006