By Angela Dorizas

Public sector employees interested in pursuing postgraduate study in governance and risk management are invited to apply for a new scholarship.

Chartered Secretaries Australia (CSA) has developed a national scholarship award specifically for the public sector.

Valued at more than $12,000, the inaugural scholarship award incorporates CSA’s Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance course.

The graduate diploma includes two public sector subject options in Applied Administrative Law and Public Sector Accountability and Transparency.

The award also provides access to professional development activities for the 12 months following the completion of the graduate diploma (to the value of $1000) and a year’s subscription to CSA’s Affiliates program.

The scholarship program provides two places per year in each state and territory.

CSA director of education and training, Irene Booth, says the graduate diploma is an important step in providing public sector professionals with the knowledge and skills required for good governance.

“The people who have completed it have been really enthused about the private-public partnership in the learning process,” Booth says.

“The public-private interaction provides a rich platform for discussion and comparison and certainly that cross-sharing of knowledge, information and practical outcomes.”

Booth says the graduate diploma is also a prerequisite for further postgraduate study.

“It is the admission requirement for any person who would like to study the Masters in Public Administration at Canberra University – it’s an admission requirement to have the CSA graduate diploma,” she says.

“It also gives them advance standing into any other masters program at most universities around Australia.”

Booth says the scholarship award was a stepping stone to further professional development and provided an important qualification along the way.

“It provides the entry qualification to become a full member of CSA, with access to all of the support structures, such as ongoing professional development, contribution to advocacy, and access to periodicals, magazines and journals,” she says.

Applications for the award are open to any public sector employee who has not previously enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance and who meets CSA’s entry requirements for the graduate diploma, including fulfilling the minimum requirements for CSA’s Associate or Fellow membership on successful completion of the course.

Applicants are required to submit a 2000-word essay addressing a current governance issue in the public sector and a statement of 50 words or fewer that demonstrates the potential benefit of the award to both their career and their organisation.

Written submissions will be assessed by a select panel of key public sector personnel. They will be judged on a number of core criteria including demonstrated awareness of the current economic and social environment and the role of good governance practice in the public sector.

Applications must be received by Friday November 26, 2010. For more information or to apply visit www.csaust.com/scholarship.