Abbey Road Studios has launched a music scholarship programme that will help two Black students complete an advanced diploma in music production and engineering.

London’s famous recording studios announced the scholarship, which will also see the students take on a year-long engineering apprenticeship at Abbey Road, earlier today (October 27).

Set to begin in 2021, the programme, which is the first-of-its-kind, will see Abbey Road cover the full cost of the course fees and contribute towards living expenses for two Black British students annually to study on Abbey Road Institute’s Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering.

Upon successful completion of the course, the two graduates will be offered a year-long trainee engineering role within Abbey Road Studios, providing them with the opportunity to put everything they learn into practice at the historic recording studios.

The scholarship programme is the first in a series of initiatives from Abbey Road seeking to create education and mentoring opportunities for young Black people, as part of a broader commitment to creating meaningful change within music production.

“I’m thrilled that this programme will create new opportunities for aspiring young engineers by giving them not just the educational foundation, but also the benefit of practical experience working with the best artists, composers and engineers in the industry,” said Isabel Garvey, Abbey Road’s managing director.

“Abbey Road has always been about training the best studio talent, so it’s brilliant that the Scholarship will help diversify the next generation of engineering professionals from the ground up.”

British singer-songwriter Raye will be actively involved and offer support and guidance as part of the programme.

“I’m so proud to be part of this brilliant initiative to encourage more Black students down the path of music production and audio engineering,” said Raye. “Black producers and engineers are under-represented in the professional recording environment and we need to address that. During my time at The BRIT School I learned how important music education is and it’s been instrumental in helping me get further in life.”

“This is such an incredible opportunity to obtain the highest levels of technical training at one of the world’s most iconic recording studios! I’m very much looking forward to meeting and working with the successful applicants and being a part of your amazing journey!”

To find out more about the scholarship programme, you can visit Abbey Road’s official website.

Earlier this year, a London municipal crew repainted the Abbey Road crossing made famous by the cover of The Beatles‘ 1969 album of the same name, while the city was under lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The crew quietly painted the normally swamped tourist hotspot zebra crossing on March 24, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a shutdown of non-essential businesses on March 20.