TWO students have won awards to help them study at university.

Tom Chappell and Sam Jones, students at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, - have won bursaries of 1000 per term for each of the three years they will study Engineering at university.

Sam intends to study Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield University and Tom will read General Engineering at Cambridge University.

The bursaries were set up by Rothmans to promote Engineering in Darlington after the closure of their factory in 2004 and competition for the awards is intense.

Stella Barnes, Higher Education and Careers Adviser at Queen Elizabeth, said: "I am very pleased that Sam and Tom have secured places on the Engineering Skills Project as the long summer placements they'll have at Cummins, Mech-Tool, CTC Marine and Henry Williams will provide superb practical experience to enhance their engineering degree courses.

"As neither of their courses provides a sandwich year in industry, the opportunity to complete a period of paid relevant work is invaluable.

They have done extremely well and we wish them great success in the future."