Inspiring young people from regional and remote Australia to attend university

New targeted outreach initiatives will be rolled out in regional and remote communities across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria as part of a broader project to inspire young people from underrepresented backgrounds to consider a university pathway.

Assistant Minister for Education and Regional Development Anthony Chisholm said the University of Technology Sydney-led project was one of two higher education outreach projects targeting regional and remote communities selected to share in $6.5 million funding from the Australian Government.

“The Albanese Government wants to ensure all Australian’s have access to high-quality education regardless of where they might live,” Senator Chisholm said.

“This Government knows how important outreach and community engagement is for students who might not normally choose university as a pathway, allowing them to see the opportunities available to them.

“The project will see over 30 universities and Regional University Centres work together with communities to deliver a range of locally tailored initiatives across 2023 and 2024, aimed at inspiring young people from regional and remote areas to pursue a higher education.

“The broad-reaching project will deliver a range of activities, including building academic and life skills, career exploration, and mentorship programs to support students to consider the higher education opportunities available to them. This includes supporting students to explore a wide variety of higher education pathways tailored to the needs and interests of partner communities and the students themselves.”

Senator Chisholm said the project would also focus on building local capacity to ensure participating communities have the resources they need to keep supporting local students to consider a university pathway going forward.

“This project presents a unique opportunity to make a lasting impression on regional and remote students and ensure that where you live is not a barrier to pursuing a university education,” Senator Chisholm said.

The Eastern Australia Regional University Centre Partnership project is being funded under Phase 2 of the Government’s Regional Partnerships Project Pool Program, which aims to empower regional and remote students to aspire to higher education, and support universities and Regional University Centres to build sustainable partnerships with local communities.

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