ACT Women’s Director Scholarships Program Australia

July 1, 2008

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2008

ACT Women’s Director Scholarships Program

Information and Application Guidelines

Applications close

COB Friday 11 July 2008

Introduction

The ACT Women’s Plan, identifies a range of objectives to advance the status of women, including representation and recognition.

The ACT Women’s Director Scholarships Program is a key action under this objective that aims to develop the skills and expertise of women who currently are or who aspire to be undertaking decision-making roles.
Eligibility

To be eligible for a Scholarship applicants must be:

1. Female;
2. An Australian citizen or permanent resident;
3. Resident of the ACT, or working in the ACT for the past 2 years;
4. an aspiring director (i.e. you have taken steps to be nominated for appointment to a government or non-government organisation, board, committee or company); or
5. a newly appointed director of a government or non-government organisation, board, committee or company; or
6. a director-owner of a private company; or
7. currently in a management role that requires an understanding of governance issues to effectively fulfil that role.

Please note: previous recipients of a Scholarship through the ACT Women’s Director Scholarship Program are not eligible to apply.
The Scholarships

Two Scholarships are available for each of the following courses. These are conducted by arrangement with the Australian Institute of Company Directors:

1. Directors Essentials, which provides a practical toolkit for director-owners and those aspiring to directorship roles; and
2. Company Directors, which develops the skills and knowledge of directors and senior officers, thereby contributing to improved individual, company and board performance.

More detailed information about each course can be obtained by accessing the Australian Institute of Company Directors website at: www.companydirectors.com.au

Application form and supporting information

To support your application you must provide ALL the required information.

Applications that do not address the eligibility criteria or do not provide ALL the required information will be deemed ineligible.

To be eligible for consideration for a Scholarship, you must complete and sign the attached application form and attach the required documentation.

Please forward your original completed application form, including ALL the required supporting documentation, plus three additional copies to the following address by

5:00 pm Friday, 11 July 2008:

ACT Women’s Director Scholarship

Office of Women

Department of Disability Housing and Community Services

GPO Box 158

CANBERRA ACT 2601

A statement against each of the following (maximum two pages in total):

1. A statement against each of the following (maximum two pages in total):

1. Describe the knowledge, skills, abilities and attributes that you apply in your current role and how this contributes to the goals of your organisation / workplace / committee.

2. Describe the knowledge and skills that you believe you would gain by participating in the ACT Women’s Director Scholarships Program.
3. How would you apply these in a formal capacity in both the short and long term? (eg. 1 year, 5 years, 10 years)
4. Evidence of any action you have taken to nominate for appointment to a government or non-government organisation, board or committee; and
5. Evidence of your role within your current organisation/ workplace / committee.

2. A Curriculum Vitae

3. Two Referees report (using the pro forma in the attached Application Form). Your referees may be contacted to seek clarification of their comments or to obtain further information.

Acknowledgement of Receipt of Application

The Office for Women will acknowledge all applications

Assessment of Applications

No interviews will be conducted. All applications will be considered on merit, based on the information provided. The Assessment Panel will assess each application. The functions of the Assessment Panel is to review all applications, applicant’s responses to the selection criteria and referees reports and ensure the process is transparent, merit based and is fair and equitable for all applicants. The Panel then provides recommendations to the Minister for Women.

Notification Decision

When the selection process has been finalised applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their applications.

Additional Requirements

Scholarship recipients will be required to enter into an agreement with the ACT Government, which identifies certain obligations relating to the Scholarship. These include successful completion of the nominated course within 12 months of signing the agreement and availability to speak about their learning experiences at an event organised by the Office for Women, Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services.
Further information and assistance

To obtain further information about the Director Scholarship Program, please contact the Office for Women, Department of Disability Housing and Community Services by:

* Telephoning: 6205 0515; or
* Emailing: women@act.gov.au

Important dates

Applications close COB Friday 11 July 2008

The next Directors Essentials course commences on 02 September 2008.

The next Company Directors course commences on 15 October 2008

Applicants may choose to commence their course at a later date.

Course information

Directors Essentials

The Directors Essentials Course aims to:

* identify the duties and liabilities of a director;
* introduce best practice governance and board meeting process;
* provide a director-orientated introduction to understanding financial statements;
* identify indicators to observe and questions to ask, in relation to overseeing the financial management of a company;
* introduce the concept of strategy and identify the linkage of strategy to the financial health of an organisation;
* examine the challenges of the boardroom environment;
* identify issues in not-for-profit governance;
* identify issues faced by director-owners; and
* identify a director’s liabilities under Trade Practices provisions.

The Program

Directors Essentials consists of the following four core modules and five elective modules of study, each of which are 3.5 hours long.
Core modules

1. Role of the director and the board
2. Introduction to board meetings and governance
3. Introduction to financial statements for directors
4. Introduction to assessing company performance for directors

Elective modules

1. Introduction to the strategic role of the director
2. Leadership: The director’s role
3. Issues in not-for-profit-governance
4. Trade practices (note: this module is only available via distance education)
5. Issues for director-owners

Accreditation

Participants have the option of completing the Certificate in Directors Essentials or enrolling in individual modules of their choice.

To achieve the Certificate in Directors Essentials, participants must complete the four core modules, two elective modules and an assessment task.

Participants who chose to complete individual modules of their choice will be given a Certificate of Attendance for each module completed.

Course dates and venue

The Directors Essentials Course commences will be held at the Griffin Business Centre, Kingston. Modules are conducted over the course of 4 months the next module. Participants may commence the course on any of the following dates:

* 02 September 2008 – The Strategic Board
* 10 September 2008 – Financial Programs for New Directors
* 06 November 2008 – Communities at Work

A timetable will be provided to participants closer to the commencement date or by accessing the Australian Institute of Company Directors website at: www.companydirectors.com.au

Company Directors

The Company Directors Course objectives are to:

* Provide a comprehensive foundation to the roles and responsibilities;
* Establish a framework for board operations and the management of risk;
* Identify best practice in governance;
* Provide a set of tools for use in the boardroom to increase effectiveness;
* Consider current issues for directors and boards; and
* Provide opportunities for participants to put their knowledge into practice

The Program

Company Directors consists of the following ten modules of study:

* The practice of directorship
* Directors duties and responsibilities
* Fundamentals of financial statements
* Assessing company performance
* Strategic direction
* Assessing strategy
* The legal environment
* Risk: issues for boards
* Improving board effectiveness
* Learning into practice

Accreditation

Participants have the option of achieving the Company Directors Course Diploma or the Company Directors Course Certificate of Completion.

To achieve the Company Directors Course Diploma, participants are required to complete eight of the ten modules, an assignment and an assessment task within six weeks of completing the Course.

To achieve the Company Directors Course Certificate of Completion, participants are required to complete eight of the ten modules and an assignment or an assessment task within six weeks of completing the Course.

Course dates

The Company Directors course will be conducted at the Federal Golf Club, Gowrie Drive, Red Hill over five full consecutive working days. Participants may commence the course on any of the following dates:

* 15 October 2008 to 21 October 2008;
* 3 December 2008 to 9 December 2008

Scholarship