Lee Stirman works as an Extinguisher Service Engineer at Chubb Fire’s Newcastle branch

30th April 2009

Lee Stirman has been given a helping hand by his company to complete his BA (Hons) degree in Leadership and Management at Gateshead College.

Lee works as an Extinguisher Service Engineer at Chubb Fire’s Newcastle branch and has been studying towards the degree part time over three years backed by Chubb’s Employee Scholarship Programme (ESP).
He started the course on his own, but the final year was sponsored by the scheme. “The support offered by the programme is brilliant,” says Lee. “It provides an excellent opportunity for employees to further their education, and there are quite a few people now from the division who have embarked on a degree.
“I am currently studying Electrical Installation through City and Guilds, which doesn’t fall under the Programme’s remit. However, once I've completed this, I aim to study for a Masters in managing organisational change. Though the study is not directly related to my role in Chubb, I feel it offers me wider skills and knowledge which complement my career choice.”

Jane Garland, Chubb Fire’s Marketing and Communications Manager said, “Congratulations to Lee for completing this course. It takes a great deal of hard work and dedication to successfully complete a degree while working full time, and we are pleased to reward this hard work with some well-deserved shares.
“As a leading provider of Fire solutions, we are committed to excellence in all that we do, the Employee Scholarship Programme demonstrates this commitment to our employees in equipping them with all the necessary skills to succeed.”
Under the programme, open to all employees, Chubb Fire’s parent company, UTC, pays for all tuition, books and academic fees, and rewards graduating employees with UTC shares or share options. Employees can choose any field of study, not necessarily job related, provided that a nationally recognised institution is offering the degree course.