Fife College’s Scholarship Programme marks £1 million milestone with launch of new Adam Smith 300 Enterprise Scholarship

Fife College students have benefited from over £1 million in scholarship awards over the last 25 years.  

To celebrate this special £1 million milestone, the College has today (5 June 2023) announced a new scholarship – the Adam Smith 300 Enterprise Scholarship.  

Created in partnership with Fife Council, OnFife and Business Gateway Fife, the new scholarship has been launched on the day of Adam Smith’s 300th anniversary.  

Aimed at supporting students taking their first steps in setting up their own business, the new Adam Smith 300 Enterprise Scholarship will include financial support, thanks to a donation from Fife Council’s economic development, a residency within the new Design Suite in the refurbished Adam Smith Theatre when it opens later this year, thanks to OnFife, as well as mentoring support and guidance from Business Gateway Fife.  

The new scholarship was announced at a special Adam Smith Scholarship celebration event at the College’s Kirkcaldy Campus training restaurant, The Academy, with many previous scholarship donors and supporters in attendance.   

Adam Smith Scholarships, previously known as Adam Smith Foundation, was set up in 1997 by the former Fife College Principal, Joyce Johnston. Over the years the scholarship programme has gone from strength to strength under the watchful eye of trustees and former staff.  

In recent years the scholarships moved from a Foundation into being fully managed by the College, a small increase in resources has enabled it to flourish – since it was established it has awarded 2,286 students a share of over £1 million. 

Many of our students have found receiving a scholarship to be life-changing, enabling them to remain at college, purchase the resources they need to continue with their studies and achieve their dreams. 

Jim Metcalfe, Fife College Principal, said:  

“We are immensely proud of our Adam Smith Scholarships programme, which is one of the largest college scholarship programmes in the country.  

“Awarding over £1 million to date, the programme has supported thousands of Fife College students, developing opportunities, opening doors, and transforming lives. 

“It is fantastic to celebrate this significant milestone with some of our amazing scholarship supporters and of course announce our new scholarship on Adam Smith’s 300th Anniversary.   

“We are certain that Adam Smith would be very pleased that we are marking his tercentenary in this special way, supporting our students in Fife to be entrepreneurs of the future.” 

The Adam Smith Scholarships celebration event is part of the wider Adam Smith Tercentenary Celebrations, which also includes the Food Festival at the College’s Kirkcaldy Campus.  

The popular Food Festival event will take place this Saturday, June 10, during a weekend packed with celebrations which will honour Kirkcaldy’s famous son on his landmark 300th birthday.