Indigenous Rural Placement Scholarship

Description

The Indigenous Rural Placement Scholarship Program is an initiative to provide financial assistance to Indigenous students to undertake placements/work integrated learning activities in rural and remote settings. It encourages Indigenous students to undertake placements on country.

Funding is provided to assist students with the out-of-pocket costs incurred as a direct result of the placement. These are costs which are additional to everyday living expenses and are incurred as a direct result of a placement requiring relocation, including:

• Travel costs,
• Accommodation.

Benefits

Approved applications will be awarded scholarships up to $2000.

Eligibility

Student Eligibility

In order to receive a scholarship, applicants must meet the following preliminary eligibility criteria: 

• Confirmation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Descent. One of the following forms of documentation will be accepted:
  • Formal letter of confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Descent provided by a Community Organisation
  • Statutory declaration identifying yourself as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, accompanied by one of the following:
    • Evidence you are an Abstudy recipient;
    • Proof of genealogy; or
    • Formal letter from an Indigenous organisation or Aboriginal Liaison Officer that recognises you as an Indigenous person.
• From institutions that are unlimited institutional members of NAFEA (see https://nafea.org.au/membership/unlimited-institution-members/ for a list of current unlimited institutional members. The institution must have an active membership for the relevant scholarship year). 
• Currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student. 
• If enrolled in an undergraduate degree, be in at least the second year of the undergraduate course to apply. 
• Agree to provide a report on the experience which is suitable for publication on the NAFEA website and in the NAFEA newsletter within one month of the placement ending. 
• Be willing to participate in evaluation studies or surveys. 
• Not be a previous recipient of a NAFEA scholarship

Placement Eligibility

The WIL placement must be: 

• Either commencing, or having the majority of the placement taking place, between:
  • Round 2: 1 July – 31 December
  • Round 1: 1 January – 30 June 

• Fulltime (minimum of 30 hours per week) 
• A minimum of three weeks/12 days duration. If undertaking multiple shorter placements, all placements must be a cumulative of 12 days and relocation required for all placements.  
• Within Australia 
• Undertaken in an outer regional, remote or very remote location which requires relocation and is at least 100 kilometres from your usual place of residence OR undertaken in a major Australian city (RA1) if your usual place of residence is in a regional, remote or very remote area (RA3-5) and you are required to relocate at least 100 kilometres from your usual place of residence. Regional and Remote Locations are defined as RA3-RA5 using Australia Bureau of Statistics remoteness classifications- ASGS Remoteness Areas (2016). You should check if your placement meets this requirement by searching the locator, click here.  For a guide on how to use the locator, click here.