Scholarship opportunity for apprentices

The Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club is proud to partner with Group Training Employment to offer a $5000 apprentice scholarship for 2024/25.

The aim of the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club GTE Apprentice Scholarship is to assist traditional trade apprentices from the South East Region of South Australia who have demonstrated hardship in their personal circumstances and aptitude in vocational education and training, to achieve their potential by successfully completing their trade training.

Lakes Rotary Club president Marian Hodson said as a club they feel it was important that they recognise some of the struggles young people are going through and that they do their best to offer them support to achieve their goals in spite of some of the barriers they may be facing.

The scholarship is open to any apprentice who is employed with any of GTE’s host employers and is undertaking either the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th year of their apprenticeship in 2024/25.

The financial support the scholarship provides is intended to be used by the recipient to reduce the burden of costs associated with undertaking their trade, including travel for work and/or training, tools, maintaining reliable transport and living away from home expenses.

At a time when the cost of living is on the rise, the introduction of this scholarship has great relevance to the current situation facing many of our community’s young workers.

GTE general manager Greg Megaw said at GTE they understand very well the struggles that can be faced by anyone in the undertaking of an apprenticeship.

“Our goal is to provide opportunities for employment and training of Apprentices and Trainees to meet skills and labour needs in the South East of South Australia,” he said. “Having our Apprentices safely complete their apprenticeship and gain their qualification is our highest priority. For individuals this isn’t always easy and as a company we provide a lot of support to our workers, giving them the best chance of getting through successfully.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to do this and the support our workers receive may not normally be available if they were employed elsewhere. We pride ourselves on the role we play within our community and to have the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club offer this scholarship will make a significant difference to someone who may one day be training our next generation of apprentices.”

Greg is only the fourth general manger GTE has had during its 35 plus years of operation. The first General Manger was the late Rob James from 1985 – 1990. Rob also later served as President of The Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club.

His widow and current Lakes Rotary Club member Colleen said Rob would be really chuffed that this was happening and that Lakes Rotary was contributing, both as being past general manager of GTE and a Lakes Rotary president.

“I know he would be very impressed with seeing the change and growth in GTE and the organisation that it has become,” Colleen said. “It is just wonderful that we can join together and offer this opportunity to make a positive difference to a young person in our community.”

The Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club GTE Apprentice Scholarship is an addition to many of the club’s other community offerings such as sports scholarships for local residents and science and engineering based programs for primary and secondary school students.

The Australia Day Breakfast and Blue Lake Fun Run of which all money raised stays in the local community.

Rotary is also involved in numerous charities on a global level.

For more information on joining the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club as a member. please email: [email protected]

For more information on the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club GTE Apprentice Scholarship, including eligibility criteria and nomination forms, contact GTE WHS & Compliance Officer, Charlie Matthews by phone (08)8721 2345 or email [email protected]. Scholarship nominations will close Wednesday, June 19, at 5pm.