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RIWAS Rural Careers Fund

Rural Careers Fund

2024 Update

The Royal Isle of Wight Agricultural Society is once again offering both bursaries and scholarships through its Rural Careers Fund. Please find details and deadline for scholarships below.


The RIWAS Rural Careers Fund is a scheme which offers financial support to people aged under 25 (and exceptionally, older) and with a strong connection to the Isle of Wight.  The scheme is intended to add value to the Isle of Wight's farming and land-based industries by offering financial support to help young people gain relevant qualifications or skills.

There are two categories of award from the fund:
• Scholarships of up to £3,000 each are awarded annually
• Bursaries of up to £200 which are considered regularly throughout the year

Eligibility - Applicants should generally be under 25 years old, but exceptionally an older candidate may be accepted.  Successful applicants will be Island residents, or have a strong Island connection, and their award will be in some way bring added value to the Island.  Previous applicants are welcome to reapply for an award, whether or not they have been successful in the past.

What will the fund pay for?  The awards are for people who want to develop their skills within agriculture or land-based and related industries.  This could include full-time study, short courses, or broader vocational development.  Travel costs alone will rarely be the basis of a successful award, although may form an element of it.  Awards will not normally be made to support second degrees or other post-graduate study.

• A scholarship is primarily aimed at individuals looking to take a full-time course leading to a qualification.
• Bursaries can help pay for a variety of training and personal development costs.  For example to pay for a short course to learn a new skill, to buy some equipment to get a qualification, or for accreditation fees and other study costs.

Key Dates - Applications for bursaries are considered regularly throughout the year and there is no final deadline.

2024 Scholarship applications must be recieved by 31th July.

The application process - RIWAS Rural Careers Fund applications are considred by a panel.  For a bursary award a simple application form will normally be all that is required.  Scholarship applicants will submit an application form and then be invited for an interview during the middle of July.
Successful candidates will need to present evidence of how they have benefitted from the award, and to attend an annual awards event.  In addition, successful scholarships will be expected to attend at least three RIWAS events including the County Show, and to be actively involved in it.

If you are interested in finding out more about the RIWAS Rural Careers Fund, or if you have any questions, please get in touch. - 01983 296244 riwas@naturalenterprise.co.uk

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The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is funded by Defra and the EU.
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.