CSU engineering student Ashlee Grentell is one of three Riverina-based students to be awarded a scholarship as part of Transgrid’s $2 million Engineering Scholarship Fund. Photo: Supplied.
The future of civil engineering in the Riverina appears to be in good hands with energy giant Transgrid awarding scholarships to three deserving students.
Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Honours) students Ashlee Grentell (Lake Albert), Jhie Deaton (Leeton) and Bachelor of Technology (Civil)/Master of Engineering (Civil) student Tyson Gentle (Illabo) have each revived $20,000 to support their studies at Charles Sturt University for the remainder of their degrees.
The Riverina-based students are three of 20 recipients to be awarded scholarships under Transgrid’s $2 million Engineering Scholarship Fund, with other recipients from locations including Bathurst, the Central Coast, Dubbo, and Orange.
Transgrid’s Executive General Manager of Major Projects Gordon Taylor said Transgrid was aiming to support 100 engineering students between 2023 and 2029 to expand the skilled workforce across the engineering industry.
“Transgrid is delivering the transmission infrastructure identified as critical to enabling the Commonwealth and NSW Governments’ clean energy vision,” he said.
“Over the next decade, we are investing $14 billion on a 2500 km energy superhighway including the EnergyConnect, HumeLink and VNI West projects and we require hundreds of skilled personnel and world-class engineers.
“We are delighted to support another 20 engineering students at Charles Sturt University this year including three from the Riverina who will each receive $5000 annually for four years to ease the financial burden and support them in their studies.”
One of the Riverina-based recipients, Ashlee Grentell, said she was really enjoying the ‘self-paced’ course and the focus on teamwork. The scholarship would allow her to continue her studies effectively.
“I have always loved maths and helping the community and engineering has very much brought those two loves together,” she said.
“The Transgrid scholarship has made the cost more affordable for all of us. It helps me with accommodation and with travelling here from home, so I still have a connection with family. It’s really helped me a lot.”
Charles Sturt University Acting Director, Advancement Justin Williams thanked Transgrid for its ongoing support which was providing momentum in attracting new engineers to regional NSW.
“The engineering school at Bathurst is a fairly fledgling program. It’s been around for just a handful of years, and we’ve seen just one cohort of graduates thus far,” Mr Williams said.
“In these early years, the engineering scholarship program adds that level of gravitas and backing that a partner of Transgrid’s scale really brings.
“It’s also a massive boon for our emerging students from regional areas to have that kind of support as they embark on a new adventure of learning about how to create the world through engineering.”
Applications for the 2025 scholarship program are now open. For more information, visit Charles Sturt’s University’s scholarship page here.
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