Country Local Government Fund
Youth Development
Scholarship Program 2017-2018

Guidelines

Contents

Guidelines

Contacts

About the Program

Program outcomes

What is covered by the scholarship?

Funding may be used for:

Funding may not be used for:

Assessment criteria

Who can apply

Who cannot apply

How to apply

Assessment and notification

Successful applicants

For further information

Guidelines

During the transition of the former Department of Local Government and Communities grant programs to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the Department of Communities is providing administrative support for the Country Local Government Fund grant programs.

Please refer to the Department of Communities’ Grants and Funding web page to access the application form.

Contact should be made with the Senior Grants Officer, Department Communities to discuss your scholarship proposal before completing the application form.

To be considered for funding, all applications are to be received by the Department of Communities by email (preferred), fax or post by the closing date. Please allow up to eight weeks from the closing date for your application to be processed.

Closing date: 4:00pm, Thursday 26 October 2017. Please allow up to 8 weeks from the closing date for advice regarding the outcome of your application.

**Please note all grants are to be acquitted by 30 June 2018. If the scholarship training is not completed by 30 June 2018, a progress report to date will need to be submitted with the final acquittal.

Contacts

For information regarding the Country Local Government Fund Youth Development Scholarship Program, or for assistance to complete an application, please contact:

Narelle Edmonds

Senior Grants Officer
Strategy & Policy

Department of Communities

08 6551 8700

Freecall 1 800 281 116

About the Program

The attraction and retention of young people is an important consideration in the local government sector. High staff turnover and an ageing workforce are impacting on current and future capacity to deliver and maintain services.

The Youth Development Scholarship Program is part of the Country Local Government Fund Youth Development Program. This program builds on youth employment information and strategies from country local government workforce plans and addresses issuesidentified in those plans. The focus is on the development of young individuals, with skill development and creation of career opportunities the key components of the program. Initiatives within the program are geared towards attracting and retaining young people in employment in country local governments.

The Scholarship Program provides scholarship funding for country local government employees, aged 30 years or under, to participate in nationally accredited training to build their knowledge, skills and leadership capacity for their career within country local government.

Program outcomes

  • Young people in country local governments willgain knowledge and skills to assist them in their current work and future employment.
  • Young leaders and potential leaders for the future willreceive encouragement and development opportunities on the nature of leadership and ways of providing leadership in their organisation and wider local government sector.
  • The local and regional community will benefit from the contribution of young people.

What is covered by the scholarship?

Funding of up to $10,000 per individual is available to undertake nationally accredited training.

Courses must be delivered through a Western Australian institution, where possible. Applicants are encouraged to consider online training options.

Only one scholarship per individual will be supported through this program.

Application or acceptance to the desired course is not required prior to applying for a scholarship through this program.

Funding may be used for:

  • course fees
  • travel and accommodation to attend the designated course.

Funding may not be used for:

  • international or interstate travel and accommodation*
  • purchasing capital items, infrastructure, text books, and/or equipment
  • wages or backfill of the successful scholarship recipient’s position within the local government
  • retrospective funding and/or completion of the prospective scholarship recipient’s existing education and training
  • study tours and conference attendance (including any DLGC workshops).

*Interstate travel and accommodation will not generally be supported, however, exceptions will be considered, on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

Assessment criteria

Each application will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • the scholarship recipient is aged 30 years or under and is a current employee of a country local government
  • the scholarship recipient meets the prescribed course prerequisites and the course is nationally accredited
  • the extent to which the scholarship will achieve the program outcomes
  • the extent to which the course will benefit the recipient and how the qualification will support the recipient’s career goals
  • the extent to which the course will support the relevant local government’s strategic community plan, corporate business plan and/or workforce development plan
  • evidence of the local government’s commitment to support the scholarship recipient to undertake the qualification, including the designation of a nominated support officer within the local government to mentor and assist the young person for the duration of the scholarship
  • the course demonstrates value for money.

Who can apply

Local governments located in country Western Australia.

More than one application may be submitted per local government, however, priority will be given to ensuring a range of local governments benefit from the scholarship program.

The employing local government will apply for the scholarship and assume administrative responsibility for the funding, on behalf of the intended employee.

Who cannot apply

Funding is not available to:

  • local governments or organisations located within the Perth metropolitan area
  • local government authorities or organisations located within the Indian Ocean Territories
  • Australian and State Government agencies
  • individuals(except through an employing country local government within Western Australia)
  • community sector (not-for-profit) organisations
  • private or commercial for-profit organisations
  • previously successful CLGF Youth Development scholarship recipients

Local governments that have not provided an acquittal and/or evaluation from previous Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ grant or program funding, in accordance with the agreed time frames, are ineligible to applyfor this program until the required documentation has been submitted. Please contact the Department if there are any queries about the organisation’s acquittal status.

How to apply

Step 1Contact the Senior Grants Officer,
Department of Communities,
on (08) 6551 8700 or
to discuss your scholarship proposal prior to submitting an application for this program.

There is no question too big or too small

Step 2Download the application form and complete all sections of the document with respect to the proposed scholarship.

Step 3Before submitting an application for assessment, take a moment to complete the checklist at the end of the application form to ensure that all application criteria have been met and all relevant information and attachments have been included.

Step 4Applications can be submitted to the Department of Communities, via the following means:

Email (preferred):


Please ensure that a scanned copy of the signed declaration is included with email submissions. If it is not possible to include a scanned copy, please post the original copy to the department within five working days.

Due to the limit on the size of attachments that can be accepted by email, supporting documents can be sent via post where required. Please make reference to this in the email should additional information be posted.

Post:GPO Box R1250, Perth WA6844

Fax:(08)6552 1555

Step 5All applications will be acknowledged via email within five business days of receipt. Should you not receive an acknowledgement, please contact the department by telephone or email to confirm that your application has been received.

Assessment and notification

Please allow up to 8 weeks from the closing date for advice regarding the outcome of your application.

Applications will be reviewed against the assessment criteria outlined in this document. All organisations that apply for funding will be notified in writing of the outcome of the submission.

Successful applicants

The employing local government will enter into a negotiated grant agreement with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and assume administrative responsibility for the funding. This agreement will detail the obligations of both parties, including, but not limited to, funding and payment details, scholarship recipient responsibilities, reporting requirements, agreed outcomes and acquittal conditions.

Scholarship funding will be paid directly to the local government, upon the execution of the grant agreement. Confirmation of the scholarship recipient’s placement will need to be provided within one month of enrolment in the approved course. The local government is responsible for paying the educational institution on the recipient’s behalf.

Afinal report is to be submittedto meet acquittal requirements and to finalise all obligations of the organisation. Final reportingrequirements will be detailed in the grant agreement. The report will give a summary of the recipient’s experience and progress throughout the course, personal and professional outcomes achieved, and any problems incurred or lessons learned, to evaluate the effectiveness of their participation in the program.

Final acquittal of the grant also requires a statement of income and expenditure for the scholarship, certified by the authorised signatory of the organisation.

Once the project is complete, any unspent funds, or fundsnotexpended in accordance with the grantagreement, are to be returned to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

For further information

For information regarding the Country Local Government Fund Youth Development Scholarship Program, or for assistance to complete an application, please contact:

Ms Narelle Edmonds

Senior Grants Officer

Strategy & Policy

Department of Communities

GPO Box R1250, Perth WA 6844

Telephone:(08) 6551 8700

Email:bsite:dlgc.wa.gov.au

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) - Telephone:13 14 50

Country Local Government Fund – Youth DevelopmentScholarship Program GuidelinesPage 1 of 8