Sixty Curtin University students are set for a career in the resources industry thanks to the largest scholarship partnership Curtin has ever undertaken with a single company.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore has provided $2.5 million for undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships over the next five years, including a number of scholarships specifically for female engineering students.
Professor Jill Downie, Curtin’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education, said the new partnership with BHP Billiton Iron Ore built upon the success of the $5 million BHP Billiton Curtin Alliance established in 2006, which has already offered a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Curtin students.
“This new partnership also complements the existing BHP Billiton Iron Ore Indigenous scholarships, which fund up to five scholarships annually to support Indigenous students studying at Curtin,” Professor Downie said.
“It truly is an enormous commitment and we are proud to be partnering with a company that is passionate about advancing education and research for Australian resource industries.”
BHP Billiton President Iron Ore, Jimmy Wilson, said BHP Billiton was committed to supporting the next generation of skilled Western Australians.
“Our investment will help to advance important research and develop the skills and talent that the resources industry depends upon,” he said.
“We are pleased to be offering a number of scholarships for female engineering students which, along with our Indigenous scholarships, will encourage further diversity in the sector.
“Investing in education is a key pillar of our Community Development Program, and we are proud to be extending our long-standing relationship with Curtin University to further support education in this State.”
The BHP Billiton scholarships offered each year from 2014 until 2018 will include:
- BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Undergraduate Scholarships
- BHP Billiton Women in Engineering Undergraduate Scholarships
- BHP Billiton WASM (Western Australian School of Mines) Scholarships
- BHP Billiton Postgraduate Research Scholarship.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s investment was made possible through the Company’s Community Development Program, which has contributed more than $200 million over the past five years to health, education, Indigenous development and community infrastructure initiatives in Western Australia. Of this, $55 million was spent on education investments alone.
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