La Trobe University is leading a national drive to encourage students to take up civil engineering study, offering some $400,000 in scholarships and support programs for 2007.

It is the most significant engineering scholarships program to be offered by La Trobe University, which is leading an innovative industry-supported student recruitment program. This program is aimed at reversing critical shortages of civil engineers across Australia.

Dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology & Engineering, Professor David Finlay, said the Federal Government’s announcement of 500 additional Commonwealth funded places in 2008 to address the engineering skills crisis was an important initiative.

“While there has been a continual national decline in students applying for engineering places, La Trobe University has increased enrolments in its civil engineering programs. We expect enrolments to increase next year.”

Engineers Australia predicts that over the next 20 years, expenditure on water supply and sewerage infrastructure in Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland combined, will amount to $12.6 billion. The Centre for Economic Development of Australia estimates significant infrastructure backlogs and potential underinvestment of $3 billion in the water sector. Civil engineers are critical to addressing these issues.
La Trobe University’s civil engineering programs were nationally recognised this year with the awarding of a $145,000 grant from The Pratt Water Program through the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) to establish a new industry-supported $600,000 FRRR/La Trobe Civil Engineering Scholarship Scheme.

The pilot project aims to address a critical shortage of civil engineers in regional communities in the Murrumbidgee Basin, New South Wales. This region has priority infrastructure needs.

Scholarships valued at $40,000 each over four years are currently being offered to students to study at La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus with the view to them taking up engineering positions in the Murrumbidgee area upon successful completion of their course.

Students for this project will come from the Murrumbidgee catchment and be co-sponsored by industry partners in the catchment and provided with relevant vacation employment, with the aim of persuading them to stay in the area after they graduate.

“This pilot project has significant potential to extend to other industry partners and communities across Australia facing similar infrastructure challenges”, Professor Finlay said.

Henoted that in addition to the FRRR scholarships, La Trobe University had also attracted large scholarships from engineering organisations across Victoria.

“Key scholarship and support programs for 2007 are being offered by Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (GWM Water), Coliban Water, Lower Murray Water, VicRoads and City of Greater Bendigo, with a combined value of some $200,000.

“We are seeing an increasing number of employers courting our students from the moment they commence their course right through until they graduate”, Professor Finlay said.

“There is a key opportunity for industry and universities to cooperatively reinvigorate science and engineering as an attractive study option for school-leavers and to develop programs that encourage the selection of science as a preferred stream of study. La Trobe University has developed unique programs to do this and is working cooperatively with industry in an attempt to turn this trend around.”

Professor Finlay urged prospective students to consider the new scholarship opportunities. Applications are currently open for a range of civil engineering scholarships for 2007 and further information can be obtained by visitingwww.latrobe.edu.au/ceps or by phoning the Course Administrator on (03) 54447805.

Industries interested in working with La Trobe University should contact: www.latrobe.edu.au/ice, or call Catherina Wallace on 03 54447744