The NSW Government will fund a total of 18 Diploma of Event Management scholarships to help upskill and create more job opportunities for those living in rural and regional NSW.

MEA Chief Executive Officer Robyn Johnson said she was delighted with the level of interest and enthusiasm displayed by the candidates.

“We are very excited to welcome these new students to our Event Management course and believe it will provide a great opportunity for them to collaborate with fellow peers and learn more about the development and delivery of events within their Destination Network,” Ms Johnson said.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the scholarship program, which is part of the NSW Government’s partnership with Australia’s peak industry body for business events, Meetings & Events Australia (MEA), has received almost 80 applications since opening in February this year.

“Due to the large volume of high-quality applications, we are offering three Diploma of Event Management scholarships for each of our six Destination Networks, which is 12 more than we originally intended,” Mr Marshall said.

“It’s clear that people across rural and regional NSW are looking for extra support to expand and develop their skills in event management, and the MEA scholarship program will help them do this while delivering event growth in their local area.

“I congratulate the 18 scholarship recipients who are already making valuable contributions to their local communities and wish them every success as they kick-off their diploma studies and continue their career journeys in the events sector.”

The 18 recipients were selected by a panel, which included representatives from Destination NSW, MEA and the six Destination Networks.