Aspiring journalists from regional and remote areas of Australia are being given the chance to get their careers off to a head start with Murdoch University thanks to a new Commonwealth Government-funded scholarship program.

Two scholarships worth $40,000 each are available for first year Murdoch students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) course.

The scholarships are designed to help recipients as they acquire the skills and knowledge they need to operate effectively as journalists in the contemporary news media industry, and be job-ready at the end of their studies.

“This is a great chance for anyone in our regional and remote areas of the state who want to get a leg up into the craft of journalism,” said Andrew Porter, Academic Chair of Murdoch University’s journalism program.

“People in our regions need to know what’s going on around them and we need people in reporting roles to do that job.

“The skills our students get from our degree will give them the chance to become storytellers and play a vital role in their community.”

Murdoch is among 16 universities across Australia to receive a share of $2.29m in funding for the first round of the Regional Journalism Scholarships program. The scholarships will assist students with tuition costs and study-related expenses.

The closing date for applications is Monday 4 March and details on how to apply are available on a dedicated website.

The scholarships are part of the government’s $60m Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation package, which is also supporting cadetships in regional media outlets.