Applications are now open for the Department of Training and Workforce Development’s Women in Non-Traditional Trades (WiNTT) scholarship program for women enrolled in eligible VET qualifications at WA TAFE colleges in 2024.
The WiNTT program is part of the WA government’s $3 million four-year investment in addressing barriers to participation in training, to support increased workforce participation in traditionally male-dominated industries such as building and construction, automotive and electrical and engineering and mining.
WA Training Minister Simone McGurk said: “Women are underrepresented in many industries in our workforce, particularly those that have long been considered male-dominated, where less than 25 per cent of the workforce are women.”
The program will provide 400 women with a one-off $5,000 payment to help reduce the financial barriers women often face in training and upskilling.
Scholarship recipients will also benefit from tailored mentoring and support services to help them complete their qualification and successfully transition into their chosen industry.
Scholarships will be available for women commencing campus-based training (either part time or full time) or an apprenticeship or traineeship; with 20 scholarships available through each WA TAFE college each calendar year.
The scholarship funding aims to help reduce the financial barriers that women often face in training and upskilling, with the $5,000 payment helping to cover costs such as student fees, learning resources, tools, work clothes and personal protective equipment, work tickets and licences, transport, accommodation and childcare.
To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must:
- be a person who identifies as a woman;
- have left school; and
- be a Western Australian resident and Australian citizen; or
- be a permanent visa holder or holder of an eligible visa sub-class as outlined in the Department’s VET Fees and Charges Policy 2024**.**
Over the next four years, the WiNTT program will support 400 women to undertake training in non-traditional trades — as it aims to boost the pipeline of female workers and increase diversity across WA’s workforce.
Applications close on 31 March 2024.