• AlburyCity Council to fund 21 scholarship places for local residents to study two community leadership and resilience subjects with Charles Sturt University
• Scholarship program aims to drive innovation and growth in the region through supporting residents to pursue higher education
• Applications are now open and will close on Thursday 25 February, with students starting study on Monday 8 March

Charles Sturt University and AlburyCity Council are calling on Albury residents to apply for an innovative new scholarship program.

The program, which was jointly established by the two organisations, will see AlburyCity Council fund 21 scholarships for local residents to study two eight-week micro-subjects from Charles Sturt’s  Graduate Certificate in Community Leadership and Resilience.

The program is a first for AlburyCity and was established to help drive innovation and growth in the region by supporting residents, particularly those involved in the community, to broaden their knowledge and skillsets by completing study in Charles Sturt’s innovative and industry-backed micro-subjects.

Applications for the first round of the ‘AlburyCity Community Leadership and Resilience Scholarship’ are open now and close on Thursday 25 February.

Charles Sturt University’s Director of External Engagement in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga Ms Samantha Beresford said the University was thrilled to be working alongside AlburyCity to support more students to gain qualifications that will strengthen the region.

“There has never been a more relevant time for this type of education than what we are seeing right now with the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 being placed on the Albury community,” she said.

“Charles Sturt University is passionate and committed to building effective community leadership to navigate major disaster and disruption, which is a critical element to recovery and ongoing economic development.

“AlburyCity is building a resilient community with the expertise and knowledge to lead and enhance the community capacity through the introduction of this scholarship.”

AlburyCity Mayor Kevin Mack said council was delighted to be working with Charles Sturt University to support the leaders of the future.

“As the difficult events of 2020 showed us, resilience and leadership in our community are needed more than ever,” he said.

“Thanks to our partnership with the University, this scholarship will create passionate, agile leaders who will be at the forefront of guiding our community through whatever challenges may lie ahead.”

The University and Council celebrated the applications for the scholarships opening with a small event yesterday in Albury.

The successful scholarship recipients will commence their study on Monday 8 March.

The first micro-subjects they will study is 'Building community resilience', followed by ‘Leading change’ on Monday 28 June 2021.

To be eligible for the community scholarships, applicants must reside in the Albury Local Government Area and be able to dedicate time to university study. Applicants will also be asked to provide examples of their local community involvement.

In order to qualify for the scholarships and undertake study in the two micro-subjects, applicants are not required to have completed prior tertiary study.

Further information about the selection criteria is available on the Charles Sturt website.

All scholarship applications must be made via the Charles Sturt scholarship webpage. Further information about the scholarships and the application process is available on this website.

Charles Sturt’s Graduate Certificate in Community Leadership and Resilience was co-developed with community representatives and local- and state-level industry representatives from the Albury region.