On Women’s Day, 8 Career Advancement Scholarships That Will Support You

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated around the world on March 8, we bring you eight carefully curated career advancement opportunities — grants, aids, programs — for those who identity as women and for other marginalised genders!

1. Chloe Munro Scholarship for Transformational Leadership:

About: This annual scholarship provided by the Clean Energy Council’s Women Renewables Scholarships supports emerging and mid-level female leaders in the fields of clean energy, energy management and carbon abatement. Successful applicants receive a fully-funded scholarship to undertake one of two courses offered by education provider Women & Leadership Australia.

Application Deadline: The next round of scholarships will open in mid 2022. (Announced)

2021 Winner: Marzi Barghamadi, Research Scientist at CSIRO Manufacturinga, works on lithium batteries.

2. British Council Scholarships for women in STEM:

About: The British Council has launched a scholarship programme in partnership with 26 UK universities with the aim of benefiting those who identify as women, wish to study in the UK, and hail from the Americas, South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), South East Asia, Egypt, Turkey and Ukraine. Fully-funded scholarships will be provided for courses in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Areas covered under clean energy and climate cover areas would include pollution management, environmental science, renewable energy, geosciences, advanced science biomaterials, etc.

Eligibility Criteria: 

• enrolled in the UK for the academic year from September/October 2022 – 2023
• can demonstrate a need for financial support
• have an undergraduate degree that will enable them to gain access onto one of the pre-selected postgraduate courses at a UK university
• can attain the level of English required for postgraduate study/research at a UK university
• are active in the field with work experience or a proven interest in their subject area
• are passionate about their course of study and are willing to engage as committed British Council scholarship alumni
  UK

Application Deadline: They vary between courses and universities but range from mid-March to mid-April 2022. (Announced)

3. Half the Sun Scholarship:

About: Provided by Nextracker and Solar Energy International (SEI), this is a needs-based scholarship program – offered in both English and Spanish – that aims to remedy the severe lack of representation of women and non-binary individuals in the solar industry and increase the participation of these groups to 50% of the total workforce. Having begun in October 2021, each year for three years, the program will provide 10 students with a full scholarship for an SEI solar training course lasting six weeks. The following regions will receive two grants each: Europe, United States, the MEIAT region (Middle East Africa, India, and Turkey); Australia and Asia Pacific; and Latin America.

Eligibility Criteria: Open to women and non-binary individuals, applicants must have earned a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields or related area of concentration.

Application Deadline: Late 2022 (Expected)

4. Annual Lights on Women Scholarship: 

About: In 2017, the Florence School of Regulation (FSR), European University Institute, Italy, launched the Lights on Women initiative to make energy policy and regulation economically and socially inclusive. Each year, FSR supports women working in energy in gaining the technical training needed to advance their careers with its annual scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria: No specific academic or professional background is required.

Application Deadline: June/July 2022 (Expected)

5. Empowering Central Asian Women in Renewable Energy Mentoring Program:

About: The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Austria, is launching a mentoring program for women professionals working in energy in Central Asia. The program is part of the OSCE ExB Project on promoting women’s economic empowerment in the energy sector for energy security and sustainability in Central Asia and is implemented in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET).

Eligibility Criteria: Open to women from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan with 2-8 years’ experience working in the energy sector and the ambition to support the energy transition in your country or region.

Application Deadline: Midnight CET, 8 March 2022. (Announced)

6. Women in Wind Global Leadership Program:

About: The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) partnered with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) to launch the fellowship program in 2019. 20 successful applicants are matched with a dedicated mentor and take part in the year-long program, including a week-long study tour in Europe.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants must be citizens or residents of the following emerging markets for wind power: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; 4+ years of professional experience in the wind energy industry.

Application Deadline: February 2023 (Expected)

7. Brighte Women in Solar Scholarship:

About: Sydney-based green finance platform Brighte has launched the Brighte Women in Solar Scholarship in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to offer five scholarships at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) for female electricians or apprentices who wish to obtain a qualification in battery storage systems and grid connect photovoltaic systems in 2022. Each scholarship is valued at $2,250 and will contribute to student fees across the period of study. Brighte will also fund the Clean Energy Council (CEC) accreditation for the five female CIT students who are awarded scholarships. Accreditation with the CEC recognises tradespeople who are trained to install solar, batteries and other renewable energy systems.

Eligibility Criteria: Available to female students, studying full or part-time, enrolling or intending to enrol in an eligible CIT qualification.

Application Deadline: Semester 2, 2022 (Expected)

8. WRISE Scholarships (Rudd Mayer Fellowship and Our Backs Scholarship): 

Each year, Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) awards Wind Power Fellowships in honor of wind industry pioneer Rudd Mayer of Boulder, Colorado, who passed away in 2002.

The Rudd Mayer Memorial Fellowships supports the professional development of its fellows as future leaders in the renewable energy field.

Eligibility Criteria: 

• The fellowship is available to anyone 18 and older identifying as a woman or other marginalized gender
• Both those who are currently enrolled as a student or recent graduate of a college, university, or technical certificate program (including graduate degree programs) are eligible
• Applicants may be interested in any sector of wind energy, including academic, manufacturing, technical, consulting, engineering, finance, and others
• Applicants must be planning to pursue a wind energy career in the United States

In 2016, WRISE launched a new scholarship program that provides a tuition stipend to further the education of women and marginalized genders in wind energy. The scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis with a target of granting three-to-five scholarships each year.

Eligibility Criteria: Recipients are selected using same criteria as the Rudd Mayer Fellowship in addition to being actively enrolled in a wind technician or similar program at an accredited college, university, or vocational institution.

Application Deadline: Early 2023 (Expected)