First Inland Rail scholarships awarded

Four students from regional Queensland are the first to be awarded scholarships under the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s Inland Rail Skills Academy.

The Department would like to congratulate Sophie Boon, Samuel Butler, Rebecca Hallahan and Braidyn Newitt who are continuing their studies at the University of Southern Queensland with support from Inland Rail.

In announcing the scholarships, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Inland Rail Skills Academy was investing in Australia’s youth.

"Along with 16,000 jobs created during Inland Rail’s construction, this is a long term investment in young people and a commitment to support jobs and skill development through the delivery of Inland Rail," Mr McCormack said.

"Every person trained through Inland Rail will have skills and expertise to take back to their communities, wherever they are in Australia, which will help boost local economies."

Inland Rail represents a range of growth opportunities for regional Australia and these scholarships are just one example of how this project is supporting the regions in which it’s built.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation’s scholarship program is open to undergraduate students living in areas close to the Inland Rail route, giving financial assistance of $5,000 per year to study with a total value of up to $20,000 each.

In addition to helping with the cost of study, these successful students will get valuable support from the University of Southern Queensland to help them integrate at university and stay engaged.

See the media announcement about these scholarships and visit the scholarships program webpage to find out more.

Image caption: ARTC’s Social Investment and Skills Academy lead Jane Roberts (far left) and Program Environment Manager Sarah Connolly (far right) stand with 3 of the 4 scholarship recipients Sophie Boon, Samuel Butler and Rebecca Hallahan (left to right).