In a further sign of continued support to the financial services industry, leading education provider Kaplan Professional will offer 10 Women in Finance Scholarships. This is part of a $1.5 million grant the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) has been awarded to manage and deliver a scholarship program funded by the Australian Government for women in finance and economics. This is part of the Women’s Leadership and Development Plan with support from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women. The 10 scholarships will cover the tuition fees of any four subjects in Kaplan Professional’s FASEA-approved Master of Financial Planning. This is dependent on whether a recipient is commencing postgraduate study or choosing to continue their studies in a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning or Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning. The FPA will allocate $85,000 to Kaplan Professional to partially fund the 10 scholarships, with Kaplan Professional funding the difference. Kaplan Professional Chief Executive Officer Brian Knight said he hoped the scholarship scheme would encourage women to enter (or re-enter) the industry and achieve leadership roles across the financial services sector. “We know there is already significant pressure on financial advisers across the industry, and there are a number of additional barriers and challenges that women may face. “We hope the scholarship scheme will go some way towards alleviating some of the financial burden of studying at a postgraduate level, especially for those women who may be disadvantaged by their situation. “We believe there is a strong need for a greater number of woman advisers to assist Australians because of the perspective they bring. “We are committed to promoting diversity and supporting women at all career stages. “We have seen the number of women enrolled in our postgraduate financial planning qualifications steadily increase over the past few years – women now make up over 40% of our student population. “We are proud of this figure and would like to see an escalation in this trend,” he said. In addition to women who may not have previously studied with Kaplan Professional, eligibility is open to students who identify as a woman who have previously completed, or are currently completing, other Kaplan Professional vocational or postgraduate qualifications. These include the Diploma of Financial Planning, Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning, Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning and Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning. Each applicant will be considered on their ability to demonstrate intersecting sources of disadvantage. This includes, but is not limited to: Financial need Re-entering the workforce Low socio-economic status Mature or young age Residing in a rural or remote area Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander New migrant Scholarship applications are now open and close on 1 October 2021. Scholarships will be awarded from Study Period 6, which commences on 8 November 2021. Full details about the scholarship scheme, including eligibility and terms and conditions, can be found here: www.kaplanprofessional.edu.au/women-in-finance-scholarship.