Hugh Baird College Students Complete Prestigious HMRC Scholarship Programme
Four scholars gain real-world professional experience across HMRC's compliance, digital transformation and business operations teams.
Four students from Hugh Baird College have successfully completed a scholarship programme with His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), gaining hands-on experience across some of the government department's most important professional teams. The learners, all studying at the Ofsted Outstanding college, were placed in roles spanning compliance, digital transformation, business change and sustainability.
The programme, now in its second year, was developed through a partnership with Hugh Baird College as part of HMRC's commitment to creating lasting opportunities for local communities. Students were selected through a competitive process including a written application, interview and skills-matching assessment before beginning their placements earlier in the academic year.
HMRC is one of the UK’s largest employers, with over 66,000 staff working across a diverse range of roles, including digital specialists, data analysts, policy makers, and government communicators. As the UK’s tax, payments, and customs authority, HMRC is responsible for collecting the revenue that funds vital public services across the country.
Anish Neupane was placed in a Compliance Business role, where he developed a clear understanding of how HMRC analyses financial data to identify errors and ensure tax is collected accurately and fairly. His mentor noted that Anish had demonstrated strong critical thinking, organisational skills, and a growing awareness of the vital role tax plays in funding public services.
Katie Roberts took on a Business Change role focusing on digital transformation, delivering a detailed presentation on change management within HMRC, with a particular focus on the GOV.UK One Login transition project. Katie impressed mentors with her insight into stakeholder engagement, project governance, and the importance of structured collaboration in large organisations.
Natalia Freitas was placed in the Business Change team within HMRC's Unity Business service, where she gained broad experience across stakeholder management and internal business operations. Her mentor highlighted strong personal development in communication, confidence and interpersonal skills, as well as a clear understanding of how effective internal systems support HMRC's wider objectives.
Mya Durnin completed her placement within HMRC's Individual and Small Business Compliance team, where she worked on understanding repayment fraud and the role of investigation and collaboration in supporting compliance. Her mentor commended her attention to detail and the way she embraced teamwork, communication and adaptability throughout her time with the organisation.
Natalia Freitas, a Business Level 3 student at Hugh Baird College, said:
The team made me feel welcome from day one and like my contributions actually mattered. I learned more in those few weeks about how a big organisation works than I have in any classroom. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity, it's given me a real confidence boost and a much clearer idea of where I want to go.
Ashley Rae, Head of Personal Development at Hugh Baird College, said:
This partnership has given our students access to experiences that can genuinely change the direction of their futures. HMRC's commitment to our learners goes well beyond what we could have hoped for, and we're excited to keep building on what we've achieved together.
Matty Ellison, Outreach Project Lead at HMRC, said:
Hugh Baird College students have really embraced this programme and we've been impressed by what they've produced. We're not just a tax organisation; we have 23 professions spanning digital, finance, HR, communications and more, and this scholarship is about showing local people what's possible. Our partnership with Hugh Baird College goes from strength to strength and we're already looking forward to next year.
Anyone wishing to find out more about Hugh Baird College's scholarship programmes can visit www.hughbaird.ac.uk/scholarship-programmes
