Scholarships alleviate unpaid placement stress

Recommendations in the final report from the Universities Accord highlights ongoing issues around unpaid student placements. Currently, degrees including teaching and nursing require up to 1,000 hours of unpaid placements – that’s around six months’ work! 

At Bank First, we understand the burden of unpaid placements, especially for those in remote areas. We’re proud to continue our partnership with ACU, a collaboration rooted in shared values of empowerment, care, and integrity.

We offer scholarships to ACU Nursing students in Ballarat, assisting with regional placement costs including accommodation and travel expenses. As Beth Jacob, ACU's Head of School of Nursing in Victoria, puts it, "Regional students often have to travel long distances from home to undertake placements, so these scholarships are very appreciated”. 

Our scholarships are more than just financial assistance. They represent hope, opportunity, and a chance to break barriers for students like Tazarni and Luke. 

Tazarni, a 20-year-old proud Gunjijumurra woman from Echuca, embodies the spirit of resilience and determination. Despite the challenges of distance, she pursues her Bachelor of Nursing at ACU Ballarat, fuelled by a desire to improve healthcare outcomes for Indigenous communities. Reflecting on her journey, Tazarni emphasised, “Being indigenous, you see how poor health outcomes are and the stigma attached to hospitals and healthcare, I want to change the stigma. I’m a caring person and I want to improve health outcomes for indigenous people”. 

Similarly, Luke, originally from Perth, shares his passion in caring for others. “I love people. In this profession you help all sorts of people from different parts of life, people you may not speak to in your every day, I like helping people and making difference.  All the things you say are a bit cliché, but they are true”. 

His experiences in rural Victoria, supported by the Bank First Scholarship, have highlighted the importance of accessibility and support for students navigating the demands of their education and placements. “The Scholarship funds have been invaluable, living out of home in Melbourne, on placement for six weeks, you can’t work and you’re constantly saving every penny, you can’t do much in your free time,” Luke stated. 

At Bank First, our dedication to the education and healthcare community goes beyond banking. We believe in accessibility, equity and opportunity in education – particularly for future nurses and allied health professionals. That’s why we’ve chosen to support nursing and aged care students who are based in remote locations through scholarships. These students are the catalysts for positive change, unlocking the potential of healthcare in regional areas.