Element Six

About Element Six

Element Six makes synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide supermaterials. The company was founded in 1946 and belongs to the De Beers Group, which is part of Anglo American. Its technologies division is fully owned by De Beers, while the abrasives division is a joint venture with Umicore. More than 1,500 people work for Element Six, across sites in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, the United States and South Africa.

The South African plant is in Springs, Gauteng. It began producing industrial diamonds commercially in 1961, which makes it one of the longest-running operations of its kind. The materials made there are used in cutting, drilling and other tough industrial and high-technology work. Diamond is the hardest known material, so tools made from it can cut faster and last longer. Customers in mining, drilling and manufacturing rely on such products.

How Element Six supports students

Element Six offers an annual bursary for South African students in technical fields. Recent calls covered BEng and BSc degrees in electrical, mechanical, mechatronics and metallurgical engineering. Applicants must be South African citizens, and they must be in matric or have completed it. Students who are already at university need an overall average of at least 60%.

The bursary gives full cover for tuition fees. It also gives partial cover for study materials and accommodation, plus a monthly stipend. In addition, students can do vacation work at the company, which gives them a first look at a modern manufacturing site. The company draws on more than eighty years of experience in material innovation, so students learn in a technical, research-minded setting.

What to know before applying

There is no application form. Instead, applicants email a full set of documents to the company's recruitment address. These include a cover letter, a certified ID copy, a certified matric certificate, a certified academic record if you are already studying, and a CV. Missing documents can lead to an application being rejected, so check your list twice.

Closing dates differ by year. The call for 2025 closed on 6 December 2024, which suggests that applications open late in the year. However, you should confirm the current dates on the official Element Six website. Details of any work-back period are not clearly stated in public sources, so ask before you accept an award.

Finally, write a cover letter that shows real interest in materials and manufacturing. A clear link between your studies and superhard materials will set you apart. Mention any practical projects, such as robotics or workshop experience. Remember that this bursary targets technical degrees only, so students in unrelated fields should look elsewhere.