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Monash and IBM to develop future leaders

2 September 2009

Peter Campbell, Minister Jacinta Allan and Professor Edwina Cornish (front) with the first group of scholarship recipients.

Monash has partnered with technology giant IBM to invest in the next generation of Australian business leaders with the launch of a new $1.2 million Future Leaders Scholarship program by Victorian Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation Jacinta Allan.

The program will fund 36 two-year scholarships over three years. Each year, 12 successful students will complete majors in both business and information technology while also participating in leadership camps, public speaking and mentoring. The course will also include an internship in second year, during which students will complete a series of assessment tasks for academic credit.

The new scholarships are in addition to a current scholarship program - the Institute for Business Leadership (IBL) and bring IBM's scholarship investment in Monash University to $1.7 million – its largest with any Australian university.

The enrolment process for the course's first intake of students was recently completed with 12 recipients selected by an IBM panel from more than 80 scholarship applicants.

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Edwina Cornish said the program would give scholarship students a unique educational experience.

"Our aim is to develop graduates who can enter the workforce immediately, with the skills to make an impact from day one," Professor Cornish said.

"The development of this program would not be possible without the sponsorship and the industry input from IBM.

"It's a great example of progressive collaboration between the education sector and industry."

IBM General Manager for Global Technology Services Peter Campbell said IBM recognised the importance of providing people with the right skills to be effective leaders.

"This course is designed to prepare university undergraduates for real-world conditions," Mr Campbell said.

"Crucial to this will be a 22-week industry placement at either IBM or one of its industry partners.

"This course is also focused on developing skills for the services industry, and we are excited about the calibre of graduates the program will produce for Australia's services sector."

Find out more about scholarships for current Monash students via the Scholarships at Monash website.