Grenfell building and construction apprentice, Hamish Napier, is the worthy recipient of a $2000 scholarship thanks to not-for-profit apprenticeship, employment and training services provider, VERTO, and the Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEF).
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The funding was made available to acknowledge and celebrate National Skills Week (21-27 August), and Mr Napier will use the funds to purchase learning resources and required tools as he undertakes a Certificate IV in Building and Construction through TAFE.
"Receiving a local CEF grant and VERTO scholarship has taken some of the pressure off starting my apprenticeship. I'm very grateful for the support," he said.
VERTO CEO Ron Maxwell said this scholarship took VERTO's total financial support of CEF and regional apprentices and trainees to more than $30,000 over the past three years, and believes Mr Napier is another thoroughly deserving recipient.
"At VERTO we pride ourselves on changing lives every day, and we're really proud to have supported 12 deserving regional youth through the CEF in the last three years," he said.
"We know there are additional challenges for rural and regional students that can lead to education and employment gaps and have a range of impacts on entire communities. The work CEF is doing to close these gaps is vital and incredibly worthy of our support.
"A huge congratulations to Hamish. He is a hardworking and very talented young apprentice going places in the building industry, so we're delighted to help support his learning journey."
CEF CEO Juliet Petersen said VERTO's support continued to make a huge difference for rural and regional students.
"CEF is excited to continue our partnership with VERTO and to provide financial relief to regional students undertaking apprenticeships, traineeships and vocational training," Ms Petersen said.
"For CEF, working with VERTO is a great step forward in promoting all types of post-school education, and as an organisation that services rural and regional Australia, we recognise the importance of acknowledging wonderful young people like Hamish in fostering and promoting the aspirations and educational success of youth across the communities in which we operate."
Country Education Foundation of Australia is primarily run by volunteers, harnessing the power of local communities to change lives by providing further education, training and career opportunities. To find out more about the foundation, donate or get involved, visit www.cef.org.au.
VERTO is a not-for-profit organisation delivering a range of apprenticeship, community support, employment and training services to assist individuals, employers and industries. They can be found in more than 65 locations across New South Wales. For more information, visit www.verto.org.au
