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Scholarships for autistic people to train for ICT jobs

The latest round of Cook Labor Government-funded Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance (AASQA) scholarships, which provide support to autistic Western Australians to enter the workforce, is now open.

  • Scholarships to support autistic Western Australians to enter the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) workforce
  • Up to $2,500 for students to undertake training at Certificate IV or Diploma levels
  • Applies to studies in the fields of Information Technology (IT), programming, software development and cybersecurity

The 2025 scholarships will provide up to $2,500 to autistic students to undertake training in eligible courses, aimed at gaining employment in the fields of Information Technology (IT), programming, software development or cybersecurity.

Introduced in 2017, the scholarships have supported 34 autistic Western Australians to learn valuable work skills through vocational education and training.

More than $60,000 in scholarships have been provided since the program commenced.

Hosted by Curtin University, AASQA works together with the Autism Association of Western Australia and the Department of Training and Workforce Development to deliver the scholarship program, aimed at harnessing the unique skills of autistic people or with related conditions.

AASQA is an Australian social innovation initiative harnessing the talents of autistic people through training, education and mentoring programs and creating pathways to long-term employment in the IT industry.

To apply or find out more about the scholarships, visit: www.wa.gov.au/service/education-and-training/vocational-education/vocational-education-and-training-scholarships

The 2025 scholarship round closes on 13 December 2024.