Essential Energy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship

Background

Essential Energy is a NSW Government-owned corporation, with responsibility for building, operating and maintaining Australia’s largest electricity network - delivering essential network services to more than 800,000 homes and businesses across 95% of NSW and parts of southern Queensland. Essential Energy is committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive workplace and we are committed to expanding the lives of students in our regional communities.

The purpose of this scholarship is to provide recognition and financial assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undergraduate students enrolled at the University of New England who are preferably on campus, studying in a full-time capacity.

Details

Value per annum

 $10,000 per annum (paid pro-rata)
plus paid work experience
Payment method Bank account

Number awarded in 2024

1

Duration

 Remainder of Degree

Study Mode

 On campus / Online

Study Load

 Full-time / Part-time (minimum enrolment of 24 credit points required per academic year)

Course Type

Bachelor degree (excluding Honours):

  • Bachelor of Business
  • Bachelor of Accounting
  • Bachelor of Laws or combined Law degree
  • Bachelor of Computer Science
  • Bachelor of Media and Communication

New or Continuing Students

 Continuing (minimum of 48 completed credit points)

College Residential requirement

 N/A
Geographical requirementPermanent home address in an area serviced by Essential Energy in NSW or Southern Queensland

Application Closing Date

Extended to 26 February 2024

Who can apply?
  1. Australian Citizen/Permanent Resident: The applicant must be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident as defined by the Commonwealth
  2. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander: The applicant must identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander  person and provide documentation according to the UNE Confirmation of Aboriginality and Torres Strait Islander Identity Rule
  3. Geographic Requirement: The applicant has resided for at least 5 years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively in an area serviced by Essential Energy in NSW or Southern Queensland
  4. Student and Course Requirement: Continuing students in their 2nd/3rd/4th/5th year who will have completed a minimum of 48 credit points in their course and enrolled/enrolling in one of the following undergraduate courses:
    1. Bachelor of Business
    2. Bachelor of Accounting
    3. Bachelor of Laws or combined Law degree
    4. Bachelor of Computer Science
    5. Bachelor of Media and Communication
  5. Academic Requirement: Continuing students must have achieved a minimum GPA of 4.0 in their course to date.
  6. Financial Disadvantage: Applicant must be able to demonstrate financial need (see Supporting Documentation/Required Information below)
Selection criteria (in order of importance)

The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of (in order):

Statement of case

Then

Academic Merit

Then

Financial Need

And

Interview with Essential Energy representatives. This may be done by Skype, Zoom or telephone

Notes

  1. Preference may be given to applicants not in receipt of another scholarship.
  2. Successful applicants will be selected based on their written application, academic potential, their ability to meet the criteria and, where appropriate, performance in an interview with the donor (most likely by Zoom).
  3. The scholarship shall be awarded on the recommendation of the Executive Principal, Student Experience and administered by the UNE Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team.
  4. By applying for this scholarship you, the applicant, permit the University to give some personal details contained in your application to the Donor/Trustee/Committee/School, who may not UNE staff. All information gathered will be treated with discretion.
  5. The Selection Committee's decision is final.
Supporting documents/Required information

The listed documents are acceptable forms of evidence in each of the following criteria:

  1. The applicant must identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and provide documentation according to the UNE Confirmation of Aboriginality and Torres Strait Islander Identity Rule
  2. Statement of Case:
    1. Why are you studying your chosen course and what are your career aspirations?
    2. Tell us about your personal strengths, leadership, and community activities you are involved in. How you have used them to make a difference in the lives of others?
    3. What impact will NOT receiving the scholarship have on your studies?
    4. What special conditions or obstacles have you overcome in your path to study? e.g. financial, geographic, cultural, or other disadvantage. Tell us what you have done to address your situation, in light of the challenges you outlined.
  3. Financial Need:
    1. Complete the Financial Need Details section of the UNE Scholarship Application Form
    2. The applicant should attach evidence to support financial need, which may be one or more of the following (as determined in Financial Need Details section of application form):
  • Evidence of your income/expected income
  • Evidence of most recent and regular Centrelink/payments
  • Evidence of partners income
  • Evidence of parents’/guardians’ income/s

Evidence of income can include:

  • Income Tax Returns*
  • Regular payslips
  • Centrelink Statement/s
  • A letter from an authorised person (e.g. community leader, school principal, minister of religion, accountant) that comments on your financial circumstances

*Note: if the most recent financial year income information is not available, previous financial year income information may be used and must be accompanied with a letter from an accountant that comments on the estimated similarity/differences.

  1. Evidence to demonstrate that you have resided for at least 5 years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively in an area serviced by Essential Energy in NSW or Southern Queensland. This may be in the form of bills or official correspondence to your address, schools you were enrolled at, or a signed statement from a rural community leader (e.g. previous employer, doctor, school principal) validating the location and period of your residence.
How to apply

Applications for the Essential Energy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship should be made through the Application for University of New England Scholarship/s Form.

Only complete applications will be processed, so please ensure that you have submitted all required documentation with your application. The Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team will notify you via email when your application has been processed.

Conditions

General Conditions

  1. Undergraduate/Postgraduate (coursework) scholarship recipients may not hold more than one UNE scholarship (excluding the Residential Financial Assistance Scholarship and/or the Betty J Fyffe Scholarship) if the combined value is greater than six thousand dollars ($6,000) per annum.
  2. The scholarship is intended for the nominated course and may not be deferred or transferred.
  3. The scholarship is payable for $1,250 per 6 credit points up to a maximum of $10,000 (48 credit points) per academic year into the recipient’s bank account in up to three instalments within 30 days following the Trimester 1, 2 or 3 census dates. Should a student be required to repeat any unit a scholarship payment will not be made for this unit.
  4. Continuation of the scholarship, if applicable, is subject to:
    1. Achieving a Trimester GPA of at least 4.0. For continuing students, results for Trimester 2 and 3 will be combined for the purpose of calculating eligibility for continuation of the scholarship in Trimester 1 in the second and subsequent years.
    2. The student continuing to maintain eligibility in relation to their enrolment status as stipulated by the Scholarship Terms.
    3. Full-time students are expected to complete their course in the minimum period of candidature.
    4. Submission of a brief Donor Report upon request each year reporting on progress with their studies and involvement in sporting, cultural and community activities as well as participation in university life, where applicable. In submitting this report, the recipient understands that some of the information and/or personal details contained in each report will be sent to the Donor/Trustee/Committee/School, who may not be UNE staff. All information gathered will be treated with discretion.
  5. If you wish to make any significant changes to your enrolment (e.g. change of degree, study mode and/or load) you must notify the Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team prior to doing so. If you no longer satisfy the criteria and conditions of the scholarship, you may not retain it.
  6. Any request to vary the conditions of the scholarship must be made in writing and will be determined at the discretion of the Student Scholarships Committee (or other relevant committee).
  7. If at any time during the scholarship term the student is found to have committed behavioural misconduct in accordance with the University’s Student Behavioural Misconduct Rules, the scholarship will be terminated and any outstanding payments to be made under the scholarship will not be paid.  You may also be required to repay any instalment already received. Students who are residential college residents are also subject to the Residential College Code of Conduct.
  8. The student may be required to attend the annual scholarships donor event if they are invited to do so, and may be asked to participate in activities to promote this scholarship and other scholarships in general, including public speaking, donor liaison, media interviews and photographs.
  9. Some scholarships may affect other government payments (e.g. Centrelink). It is the recipient’s responsibility to seek advice from the relevant government agency.
  10. From time to time minor changes may be required to the administrative conditions of this scholarship. If this occurs recipients will be given advanced notice in writing. Donors will also be consulted where appropriate.
  11. Failure to meet the requirements of these terms and conditions may lead to the termination of the scholarship and/or your being required to repay any instalment already received.

Enrolment Notes and Definitions

  • Full-time is defined at UNE as an enrolment of 48 credit points in the academic year.
  • Part-time for this scholarship is defined as a minimum enrolment of 24 credit points in the academic year.
  • Enrolment is required for Trimester 1 and 2 study periods (with Trimester 3 optional), where if there is no active enrolment in these periods and a request for a leave of absence from their scholarship is not made and approved to the UNE Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team, the scholarship may be suspended.
  • For pro-rata scholarships, payments will be made in each Trimester (1, 2 or 3) provided there is a minimum enrolment of 24 credit points across the academic year. If fewer than 24 credit points in demonstrated in Trimester 1 and/or 2, payment will be withheld until enrolment intentions are made in writing to the Student Scholarships Team.
  • For 1 year duration scholarships or for continuing scholarship recipients in the final year of their scholarship, the second payment will only be made when the 24 credit points (or the last remaining units for that course) requirement for that academic year has been satisfied.
  • For on campus required scholarships, students must be enrolled in all on campus units, subject to availability, not just registered in ON mode. Students unsure about this should contact the UNE Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team to discuss their situation.
  • If a problem presents in meeting the above requirements, the recipient must liaise with the Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team to discuss their specific situation.

Specific Scholarship Conditions

  1. Recipients of this scholarship are required to undertake a paid work experience placement in Port Macquarie NSW or another suitable Essential Energy office, e.g. Tamworth, the details to be negotiated with the donor. There may be the opportunity for the successful recipient to progress into Essential Energy’s graduate placement program following completion of their university course.
Acceptance

In accepting the Essential Energy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship, the recipient acknowledges that they have read, understand and accept the terms and conditions outlined above.