09 February 2018

Scholarships for leadership programs open to women in ag

9 February 2018

Women working in citrus and other agricultural industries are encouraged to apply for scholarships worth between $3000 and $8000 to develop their leadership skills.

The grants aim to enable women to participate in leadership development programs offered through Women & Leadership Australia (WLA). The organisation is hoping to build on the momentum of last year when they had sector-specific scholarship funding available for the first time. In 2017, 183 women expressed their interest in the scholarships for the agriculture sector, and 41 were subsequently approved and enrolled in the programs.

For this round of funding, $100,000 is available specifically to agriculture sector women.

WLA’s Head of School, Suzi Finkelstein, said according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’ is a male-dominated sector, with only 33.7% of the working population female.

“This means that women in the sector may feel isolated or not supported. Leadership training for women within the sector is incredibly important as one part of rectifying this problem because it builds both the skills and confidence of women looking to take the next step in their careers,” Suzi said.

“Even more importantly, it provides a platform for women to connect and build valuable networks both within and across industries, and to forge impactful alliances that will enable transformative change.”

Suzi said funding would be provided to candidates who have at least one or two years of management experience and are looking to step up into their next role or make the most of their current one.

“The funding program is suitable for junior managers and team leaders right through to senior and executive level women. It is not suitable for those fresh out of university or without any management experience,” she said.

The leadership programs’ workshops, reading materials and coaching sessions provide practical guidance across every facet of effective, strategic leadership. This includes developing resilience, building and managing teams, negotiation and having difficult conversations, time prioritisation and management, and leading through change.

Individual scholarship can go towards one of three leadership programs:

	Accelerated Leadership Performance Program ($6,990) 18-week course for junior managers	Executive Ready ($9,990) 7-month course for mid-managers	Advanced Leadership Program ($18,990) 12-month course for senior executives
Agriculture sector scholarship amount	$3,000	$4,000	$8,000
Residual Fee	$3,990	$5,990	$10,990