City of Mandurah Sponsors Scholarship

A new AUS$5,000 scholarship program is open to people involved with not-for-profit associations across a variety of industry sectors. It is sponsored by Western Australian destination the City of Mandurah.

The scholarship is designed to assist in personal and professional development, either through attendance at a relevant international conference, or by undertaking further study in their chosen field of endeavour. It is offered under the successful Perth Convention Bureau’s Aspire Programme, a newly named scholarships and awards programme that has been operating since 1999.

Since its inception, the programme has generated convention business worth more than AUS$80 million in direct delegate expenditure to the Western Australian economy. Perth Convention Bureau’s chief executive Paul Beeson said the City of Mandurah Convention Scholarship was a welcome addition to the long-established initiative.

“This is a great opportunity for the bureau to make valuable connections in an important and growing region and assist with the development of those working in the not-for-profit sector,” he said.

“For years the scholarship programme has been such a successful marketing tool for the bureau and has been recognised and duplicated internationally.”

The bureau in conjunction with the scholarship sponsor, The City of Mandurah, will launch the programme at a prestigious morning tea event being held in Mandurah on the 31 January. The event will be attended by the City of Mandurah mayor, Paddi Creevey, Beeson, local businesses, academia, local council officials and City of Mandurah staff.

“One the key strategies that the City of Mandurah has focused on in recent years is identifying new and innovative ways of attracting economic diversity to our region,” said Mark Newman, the destination’s chief executive. “Central to our strategy is the need to identify the skills and expertise that we have as a region. We also realise that taking a proactive approach to business events attraction cannot be overestimated.

“The Perth Convention Bureau Aspire programme addresses these strategies across a number of levels. It will allow us to identify the diverse knowledge base in our region, and address on of the key tourism opportunities by enabling the city to potentially attract business events to Mandurah and the Peel region. We are privileged to be the first regional city to offer this scholarship to members of our community and look forward to the opportunity this programme will present to make our city more livable and vibrant."

Mandurah is one of the most vibrant regional cities in Western Australia. Once a small fishing village that boomed during holiday periods, it now has a thriving population of nearly 67,000. Covering an area of 173.5 square kilometres, Mandurah follows the coast from its northern extremity at Madora to the Ramsar-listed wetland Lake Clifton and Yalgorup National Park 50 kilometres to the south.

In 2012, the Aspire Programme – which also embraces several professional development awards for five Perth universities – will see nine awards and two scholarships worth a total of AUS$60,000 presented to individuals involved with the state’s academic and not-for-profit sectors.

The deadline for applications for the City of Mandurah Scholarship Programme is 30 March 2012.