The State Government made an election commitment in 2013 to create scholarships to encourage women into non-traditional industries and trade occupations where women make up less than 25 per cent of the total workforce. The Minister for Training and Workforce Development launched the scholarships this week.
This is a joint initiative of the Department of Training and Workforce Development, the Department of Local Government and Communities and the Construction Training Fund.
Each year 100 scholarships will be awarded over the four years of the program.
The scholarship is available to eligible women over the age of 18, who have left school and are planning to train in a ‘non-traditional’ trade or industry.
Scholarships will be available for both institutional and employment based training:
- institutional training – $3 000 will be available for women planning to do a publicly funded institutional training course in an approved qualification; or
- employment based training – $1 000 will be available for women planning to do an approved apprenticeship or traineeship, and their employers will receive a $2 000 incentive payment.
These scholarships can be used to help with costs associated with undertaking training, including student fees, learning resources, mentoring, coaching, tools, equipment, accommodation, transport and childcare fees.
There are around 180 approved qualifications linked to non-traditional occupations. For further information, and to view a list of eligible qualifications, visit the Department website.
Guidelines, eligibility criteria and application information will be published on the Department’s website when applications open on 16 March 2015. Successful scholarship applicants will need to commence their training between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016.
Applications will close on 15 May 2015.
If you have any queries regarding the program, please contact me on Geoffrey.Holden@dtwd.wa.gov.au or telephone 6551 5831.