• Charles Sturt University and Transgrid launch $2 million worth of scholarships to help 100 students study Engineering
• The Transgrid Engineering Scholarship Fund will support students to cover the ongoing costs associated with their study, living expenses or learning resources
• This scholarship fund is the largest philanthropic gift from a corporate donor in Charles Sturt University’s history

Charles Sturt University is partnering with Transgrid to enable the next generation of Australian civil engineers to access a world-class education so they can help build the vital infrastructure Australia requires.

The two organisations today launched the Transgrid Engineering Scholarship Fund, which will provide $2 million over the next seven years to support the education of 100 civil engineering students at Charles Sturt in Bathurst.

Starting in 2023, the fund will award $20,000 scholarships to 100 students commencing either the Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Honours) or Bachelor of Technology (Civil)/Master of Engineering (Civil) courses at Charles Sturt.

The scholarships will be delivered to students in four annual instalments of $5,000 to help cover the ongoing costs associated with their studies, including learning resources and living expenses.

In addition to helping these students access the world-class learning facilities and expert teachers, the scholarships will also expand their career pathways through the courses’ paid cadetships with Transgrid and other organisations across regional NSW. This includes many NSW local councils who have supported Charles Sturt Engineering students through hands-on, paid placements since the course was launched in 2016.

Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor Professor Renée Leon said the scholarships would not only provide much-needed support for the students but also help facilitate important and much-needed infrastructure in Australia in the decades ahead.

“It’s very pleasing to be able to work with Transgrid to offer these scholarships that will help students pursue their higher education goals at Charles Sturt University,” she said. 

“In addition to supporting individual students, this will have broader positive impacts when those goals are realised and our graduates start to fill this crucial skills gap, in regional Australia and beyond.

“This is the largest ever philanthropic gift from a corporate donor to Charles Sturt University, so I want to thank Transgrid for their generosity and vision in working with us to provide this support for our students.”

Director of Charles Sturt Engineering, Mr Jim Morgan, said the School’s courses were designed to provide students with hands-on learning and experience, working alongside expert teachers, researchers and industry professionals.

“Charles Sturt Engineering has a world acclaimed course recognised by MIT as an excellent way to teach engineering.  Our students start off in project-based learning then move to paid internships for most of their degree, so that even before they graduate, our students are producing real-world engineering solutions” he said.

“By the time they have graduated, Charles Sturt Engineering students have the skills and knowledge to build infrastructure in rail, road, airports, bridges, dams, mining, agriculture, environmental protection, sustainability, water, sanitation, and energy distribution, among other fields.”

With 85 per cent of Charles Sturt Engineering graduates working in regional Australia upon completion of their studies, Transgrid Chief Executive Officer Mr Brett Redman said the scholarships would have substantive positive impacts in regional Australia.

“This $2 million scholarship fund will support the next generation of engineers through their training and help to address a critical skills shortage in regional Australia,” he said.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Charles Sturt University to help fill a critical skills gap.”

NSW Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW and Member for Bathurst, The Hon Paul Toole, welcomed the partnership between Charles Sturt University and Transgrid.

“This is great news for Charles Sturt as it will bring mutual benefits to both organisations, improving student accessibility and capability as well as career pathway opportunities,” he said.

“As the Local Member, Minister for Regional NSW and a former student of Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, it is a priority that graduates can remain local and use their expertise to better our regions. 

“The scholarships will provide avenues to highly skilled, highly paid employment in the regions and relieve students’ financial pressure when studying.” 

Member for Riverina, The Hon Michael McCormack, said the scholarships provided a fantastic opportunity for regional students.  

“This $2 million initiative will help regional people study for a highly skilled course which may have otherwise been out of reach,” Mr McCormack said.  

“It will potentially lead to more local people studying engineering regionally and undertaking their work placements in the regions, which will hopefully lead them to become the future for building the infrastructure of regional Australia.” 

Applications for the 2023 scholarship are open until November 25, 2022. For more information, go to www.csu.edu.au/transgrid-scholarship 

The announcement of the scholarship fund follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Transgrid and Charles Sturt in November 2021 to collaborate on opportunities for research, infrastructure, training and employment.