Alan Griffin, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, announced the recipients of the Defence Technical Scholarships for 2010. Amongst those awarded was Tec-NQ student Sean Hoskins.

“The Australian Defence Force is not immune to the nation-wide shortage of skilled technical tradespeople, and through the Defence Technical Scholarships, theAustralian Defence Force seeks to help keep young people at school longer so that they build a better foundation for a future trade career.

“The Defence Technical Scholarships seek to reward those students who are interested in pursuing a technical trade career once they finish school. Successful students will receive Scholarships of $2,000 forYear 11 or $3,000 forYear 12.

“In addition, during their Scholarship year, some students will get the opportunity to participate in Defence experiences, events, base and ship visits. Recipients are under no obligation to join the Australian Defence Force on completion of their Scholarship or schooling.”

“These winners should feel very proud of their achievements, and I strongly encourage technically-savvy students currently in Year 10 and Year 11 to consider applying for a DefenceTechnical Scholarship in 2011,” MrGriffin said.

More detailed information on the Scholarships can be found on the Defence Jobs home page: http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/DTS.