2014 Mayoral Scholarship awarded

Council is pleased to announce that Jerreau Tonge who attends Tokoroa High School is the 2014 Mayoral Scholarship recipient.

"Mr Tonge has a passion for promoting the benefits of education to our young people at an early age," said Mayor Neil Sinclair. "He will be undertaking a Bachelor of Primary Teaching at Waikato University."

Eighteen applications were received for the 2014 Mayoral Scholarship. Council shortlisted this to eight applicants who were interviewed by a panel including Mayor Sinclair, Council's Human Resources Manager Murray McAlister and external representative Cath O'Connell, Gateway Co-ordinator who has been in the education sector for 15 years.

"The quality of the applicants was again impressive," said Mayor Neil Sinclair. "I am consistently blown away by the calibre of young people we have coming through our schools."

Council received ten applications from students from Forest View High School, four from Tokoroa High School, three from Matamata College and one from Putaruru College.

To be eligible to apply students need to live in the South Waikato, supply a Curriculum Vitae with referees and be under 21, among others. The successful applicant must be able to show they have achieved New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) university entrance qualification.

"The quality of students and the range of chosen courses of study are very pleasing," said Murray McAlister, Council's Human Resources Manager. "Council was however a little disappointed that a number of applicants didn't fully complete the application form and for that reason several applications were dismissed fairly quickly. It is really important for instance to let Council know why students feel they are deserving of the Mayoral Scholarship."

Applicants named a wide range of courses of study, including Nursing, Business Management, Sport and Recreation, Arts (including Applied, Media and Visual), Social Sciences, Teaching, Medicine/Surgery, Veterinary Science, Agriculture Commerce, Communication Studies and Engineering.

One Mayoral Scholarship is awarded annually; based on a maximum of a four year course of study and a maximum allowance of $5,000 each year. Previous students have studied engineering, tourism development, environmental planning and science and technology. If work is available, students undertake vacation jobs with Council, which benefits the student, Council and the community. Council has also employed one of its scholarship recipients in a permanent role.

"Our Council is the only council in the country to offer local young people a scholarship," continued Mayor Sinclair. "Council has a number of initiatives that invest in our young people; the Mayoral Scholarship is one such initiative." ends words: 409