Professional development
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UOW scholarships will support ECEC professionals experiencing financial barriers to study
Freya Lucas
Dec 13, 2022
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The University of Wollongong (UOW) has made a $7 million commitment to supporting students from rural and regional areas to access study, while at the same time recognising the increasing demand for a skilled workforce in critical sectors and industries such as healthcare, education, information technology and STEM-related occupations.
Delivered via two new scholarship schemes – the 2023 Country to Coast Scholarship, and the 2023 Future Skills Scholarship – the $7 million commitment aims to provide opportunities for students to excel and succeed in their university studies and build a highly skilled workforce to support the needs of the country.UOW is a unique learning environment which has a long term commitment to increasing access and participation in higher education for students from all backgrounds, with more than half of its student cohort being the first in their family to attend university.
The two new scholarships are in addition to the Regional Kick-Start scholarships, which will put a university degree within reach for even more students at either UOW Bega, UOW Batemans Bay, UOW Shoalhaven, or UOW Southern Highlands.
More than 1,500 scholarships will be awarded to commencing domestic students in 2023.
The newly established 2023 Country to Coast Scholarship is UOW’s $5.9 million flagship commitment designed to support students from regional and rural areas across NSW.
Each regional or rural student from Bega Valley, Central West, Eurobodalla, Far West, Murray, Riverina, Eden-Monaro regions who received an offer to study at UOW via Early Admission in 2023, is eligible to receive $5,000 as part of the scholarship; half of which will be paid for set-up costs in January before commencing the academic year.
Most of the students from these areas are also eligible to apply for an additional $10,000 in combined government and UOW-funded scholarships, meaning eligible students beginning to study at UOW in 2023 could receive up to $15,000 in financial support.
UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson said the scholarship is “a game changer” and will support the aspirations of students from regional and rural areas.
“Diversity is what makes UOW a leading global university, and our students from regional and rural areas are very much part of our success,” Professor Davidson said.
The University is also establishing a new 2023 Future Skills Scholarship, a $1.077 million commitment to fund future UOW students with an offer to study in an identified priority skills area such as early childhood education and care (ECEC).
“The nation is currently going through a skills crunch, especially in the STEM, education and healthcare sectors,” Professor Davidson said.
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