Gottstein Trust flagship grants program applicants have until 3 June to get their applications in. These opportunities are open to absolutely anyone – an in-field machinery operator, nursery worker, mill worker, TAFE student, haulage operator, PhD researcher, architect, engineer, silviculturist, sustainability manager, forest ecologist, timber merchant, marketer – to give just a few examples. Source: Timberbiz
Around 200 people are now former Gottstein Trust award recipients. They do, have and will continue to contribute to Australia’s renewable forests and wood products economy in all sorts of positive ways.
There are three types of grants. With no set pre-requisites, the Skill Development Support category is open to anyone, working at any level, who wants to build their skills. Candidates may seek funding to pay for a skill development activity such as a hands-on or online course, attending a workshop or conference or engaging a mentor outside the business where they work. It is up to the individual to identity what they want to achieve and how.
The Scholarship category is for TAFE and University students at any stage of their course and who aspire to a future industry career. The grant funds may be used for living and general course expenses. Applicants must be enrolled in a field of study relevant to the forest products industry. Dallas Goldspink, who is Team Leader – Forestry for TAFE NSW at the Forestry Industry Training Centre at Tumut NSW, found that the scholarship enabled him to concentrate on his studies and focus on getting his career off the ground.
The premier grant category is the Gottstein Fellowship. Applications mainly come from early to mid-career individuals who are motivated to undertake a special project of their own design; and which can be demonstrated to be beneficial for the forest products industry. A project usually involves an extended period of international and/or domestic travel and time away from their regular work or study. This means that the employer or supervisor needs to be on board with it too. Gottstein Fellow Harry Mills regularly draws on the experience of his fellowship and found the opportunities to learn were unique.
Sharing the learning gained during every fellowship project is vital. Each person must make a commitment to produce a written report on their project experience and on their findings. These final reports are made available to the industry and others at www.gotttsteintrust.org. Fellowship recipients are generally also required to deliver a session at a Gottstein Trust course.
All details and online application forms are available at https://gottsteintrust.org/grants-courses
Enquiries can be directed to [email protected]
Interested people are welcome to discuss their project idea with Helen Murray on 0419-991-424, before applying.
