NSW - Training & Scholarships

2026 NAWIC NSW & NSW Government Women in Construction Program $30,000 Executive Women's Leadership Scholarship

2026 Recipient Announced at NAWIC NSW IWD Event – Click Here To See Media Release

The number of women in Executive and C-Suite positions within the construction industry continues to be unbalanced. Without women in these roles, having a seat at the table and sharing their perspectives and experience, the ability for the industry to be truly inclusive and equitable will be limited.

Proudly funded by NSW Women in Construction, the NAWIC NSW Women’s Executive Leadership Scholarship seeks to recognise those that have made an impact within the construction and building industry and demonstrated potential for future achievement and leadership.

By equipping women with the business acumen and leadership skills to face the challenges of a volatile, complex, and uncertain environment, the scholarship will cover the cost of tuition fees, travel allowance, and other related costs for the recipient to use towards an executive leadership program of their choice to the value of $30,000.

NSW Government Women in Construction Program

The NSW Government is investing $20.2 million in the Women in Construction program over three years.  The program aims to attract and retain more women into the construction industry, with a focus on increasing the number of women in trade and non-traditional roles. 

NAWIC NSW thanks NSW Women in Construction for partnering with us on this scholarship, which will see the development of an alumnus of women who will be visible role models for future generations.

ELIGIBILITY

The Scholarship will be open to female identifying senior management who may currently lead a key part of their organisations or may be planning to or have recently established their own business within the construction and building industry.

• Be a current member of NAWIC for the 2025-2026 financial year at the time of submission
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, who resides and works in NSW
• Hold a senior management or executive construction role (i.e. functional lead, regional lead, project director, construction/site manager, business owner) in the construction and property industry 
• Demonstrate management experience including P&L, strategic, and team leadership responsibilities (minimum 15 years’ experience)
• Demonstrate executive potential, industry impact, and commitment to advancing diversity
• Choose a course that completes within 18 months after the Scholarship is awarded
• Be required to share her experience and speak at NAWIC events as part of the Executive Scholarship alumni

Applicants must also:

• Provide appropriate evidence of general and professional qualifications in their related field.
• Be responsible for ensuring that the eligibility criteria of the select institution and course can be met.
• Choose a course that completes within 18 months after the scholarship is awarded.
• Agree to share her experience and speak at NAWIC events as part of the Executive Scholarship alumni, and participate in initiatives with other key sponsors of the scholarship as required.
• Make themselves available for a 45-minute interview during the interview period (Late February 2026 – date TBC).

Finalists will be provided with a guest ticket and required to attend NAWIC NSW's IWD Event on Friday 6 March for the winner announcement

CRITERIA

Applicants are required to submit a complete application that includes:

• A 300-word executive summary
• A 300-word outline of the intended use of the funds, including the name of the educational institution, course name, and other costs associated with completing the course  
• A five year career plan which outlines the applicant’s career goals and how the identified training will help them achieve their goals (1-A4 page attachment)
• A 500-word overview of demonstrated history of developing or leading staff in their organisation and or a plan to support the growth of staff within their organisation in the future
• A 500-word overview of the applicant’s current engagement with the industry as a whole and the anticipated reach and engagement that would be achieved as an outcome of undertaking the proposed course
• A letter of recommendation and endorsement from their employer outlining their suitability to undertake the training opportunity (1-A4 attachment)
• A character reference from outside their organisation and from someone not related to the applicant outlining their suitability for the training (1-A4 attachment)
• An up-to-date CV (maximum of 3 pages)
• Participate in an admissions interview – focus on ‘Leadership Potential’ (30min)

POTENTIAL COURSES (this is not an exhaustive list)

• Harvard Business School – Leadership Development
• Stanford School of Business: Executive Program in Leadership
• McKinsey Executive Leadership Program
• IESE Business School – MBA
• HEC Paris
• Kellogg School of Management at North-western University: Women’s Senior Leadership Program
• INSEAD:

The NAWIC NSW Chapter offers several scholarship opportunities

Check out our annual awards program here for other scholarships.

NAWIC NSW appreciates that some references may be difficult to obtain over the holiday period. Accordingly, we advise applicants to let us know if they are experiencing challenges so accommodations can be made.

KEY DATES:

Please note, shortlisted applicants are required to be available for an interview with the Scholarship judging panel per the above dates.

All shortlisted applicants will be provided with a complimentary ticket at the NSW IWD event for the scholarship recipient announcement.

This scholarship is made possible with the generous support of the NSW Government’s Women in Construction Program.

Click here to apply

Submission Guide Here

For more information, email us.