Foundation Feature | Apply now: Lift Off Scholarships for Goulburn Valley students in 2025

Local people wanting to pursue their education aspirations and ultimately, their career dreams, but are experiencing hardship, are encouraged to check their eligibility to apply on the ‘scholarships’ page of the Greater Shepparton Foundation website.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, Lift Off Education Scholarships have supported 132 local people into higher education. With applications now open, even more students from the Goulburn Valley will have the opportunity to receive this valuable financial support.

The scholarship process is capably overseen by a committee convened annually, whose members bring expertise associated with their roles and are representatives of their wider communities, to develop the framework and manage the scholarship process.

This committee is a subcommittee of the foundation and its recommendation for approval of scholarships and the distribution of funds is approved by the GSF board.

Outgoing committee chair and local secondary school career practitioner Mary-Ann Linehan was a founding member of this committee. Mary-Ann this year stepped aside from the role as chair, handing over the reins to another long-standing committee member and program manager at Geared for Careers, Craig Mangan.

“As I reflect on 10 years of involvement with the Lift-Off Scholarship program, many of those as chair of the volunteer committee, we have seen many changes in the demographic and the types of challenges our young people face when pursuing further education,” Mary-Ann said.

“I am proud that we have been able to partner with community organisations such as Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project’s Laptops with Love program to support our local students to continue their educational dreams. I hope we have assisted our community with employees and young leaders in a variety of professions including health, engineering, teachers and scientists, just to name a few.”

Alongside supporting young school-leavers, this year the Lift-Off Scholarship Committee has established the need to expand the criteria and open applications to local people returning to study in 2025. This is a direct response to the financial challenges faced by those electing to take on study and the commitment required to invest in education.

These annual scholarships are made possible with the support of local businesses, groups and individuals who make a tax-deductible donation to ‘sponsor’ a scholarship.

The scholarship program was established in partnership with the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, in response to the increasing number of young people not able to afford the transition from secondary education to post-secondary education. Studies showed that young people from non-metropolitan regions, such as the Goulburn Valley, deferred university studies at twice the rate of their metropolitan counterparts. Since 2014, Lift Off has assisted in overcoming financial and other barriers to local people’s education dreams and inspired them to achieve their full potential.

Scholarships are awarded for approved pathway courses and higher education courses including diplomas and range from $2000 to $10,000. Lift Off is targeted at local people who attended secondary schooling in the following communities: Cobram, Euroa, Kyabram, Mooroopna, Nathalia, Numurkah, Rushworth and Shepparton.

For more information regarding Lift Off Education Scholarships, please visit the ‘scholarships’ page on our website at greatershepparton.foundation

Until next time

Amanda McCulloch,

GSF executive officer