A DUNFERMLINE student has taken delivery of a prestigious bursary to help with her future career plans.

Kirsty Balfour is one of 12 people in the UK to receive the first Amazon Future Engineer Bursaries.

The award, open to female students from low-income households, is worth up to £5,000 a year for up to four years and recipients will also receive support from Amazon mentors during their studies as they prepare to get on the career ladder.

Awardees will also be invited to networking and training events at Amazon and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and have access to a community forum providing a peer-to-peer network.

Kirsty has just started her degree in computer science and mathematics at the University of Glasgow.

After developing a love for technology as a teenager, she is hoping the course will help her make an impact in technology and innovation sector.

The Amazon bursary means Kirsty will be able to move out of home for the first time.

She is looking forward to exploring computer science fundamentals like programming, databases, systems, and hardware in depth.

“More than anything, I’d love to make an impact by helping other young girls," she said. "I want my work to have real meaning, especially as a woman in technology.

"I know it’s important to meet people, network and make connections so I’m really excited to get started.”

Lauren Kisser, director at Amazon’s Development Centre in Cambridge, welcomed all 12 students to the scheme, saying the initiative would help more women become the innovation leaders of the UK.

"More needs to be done to encourage women to enter these fields and break down the barriers which some students face," she added.

"The Amazon Future Engineer bursary scheme is just one of the ways that we are helping to increase the representation of women in the UK innovation economy and exciting careers in computer science.”