Growing And Upskilling Regional Health Workforce Gets $5M Boost

The NSW Government’s $5 million Rural and Regional HealthCareer Scholarship program will give key healthcare workers in regional NSW the opportunity to enter the workforce or upskill.

Duty MLC for Wagga Wagga and Murray, Wes Fang said the initiative would further expand on health investments across the State.

“This program will assist healthcare workers with costs such as relocation, travel, study or upskilling to ensure we continue to build and maintain a strong pipeline of healthcare workers now and into the future,” Mr Fang said.

“With fantastic facilities, including the $250 million redevelopment of Griffith Hospital and the $50 million redevelopment of Tumut Hospital, frontline healthcare workers can enjoy the best lifestyle regional NSW has to offer while working in these wonderful and modern workplaces.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Paul Toole said the program was a key part of the NSW Government’s commitment to attract and retain healthcare workers in rural and regional NSW.

“Our government recognises that working in healthcare in the regions is completely different to working in the city,” Mr Toole said.

“That’s why this program has been specifically designed for rural and regional health workers.

“We want our health workforce to feel supported and provide them with the opportunity to upskill or retrain while staying connected to our communities.”

Minister for Regional Health, Bronnie Taylor said the program would not only attract new staff to the regions but support existing healthcare workers.

“I’ve heard loud and clear that our health workers want to be provided with the opportunities to advance their careers without having to leave their families, their workplace and their communities,” Mrs Taylor said.

“These scholarships are flexible to individuals’ needs and are available across a range of health professions, including allied health, nursing and midwifery and Aboriginal healthcare.

“This is about growing and empowering our regional health workforce and builds on the NSW Government’s $883 million regional health workforce incentive scheme, announced as part of the 2022-23 NSW Budget.”

The Rural and Regional Health Scholarships form part of Our Vision for Regional Communities and Action Plan 2023-2025, a NSW Government initiative outlining immediate priorities and long-term strategies to make regional NSW an even better place to call home.

Visit www.nsw.gov.au/ourvision to learn more.

• Topics:

• Health & Wellbeing
• Grants / Funding
• Careers
• Scholarships