The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in partnership with The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) is seeking applicants from regional and rural shire councils to participate in a leadership program designed to raise awareness about the benefits that may flow to regional Australia from international trade, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and international tourism.
The program will consist of six interactive webinars designed to generate ideas on how Shire Councils may capitalise on these as part of their COVID-19 recovery efforts.
The workshops will run from 23 April to 25 June 2021 with the final presentation comprising short-listed video presentations from participants on their Intranational Engagement proposal for their region.
The program is open to early to mid-career applicants who are working in economic/growth roles within regional and rural Shire Councils.
Your application should include a short introduction answering the following four questions and responding to the selection criteria, as well as your CV/LinkedIn profile as support material.
Selection Criteria
Successful applicants will have:
- – Strong motivation towards improving the community and economic development of their region / town.
- – Sound knowledge of economic development, preferably applicable to the local government context, with demonstrated ability to effectively apply this knowledge.
- – Demonstrated experience in being proactive about their region and engaging in its development.
- – Demonstrated experience in business / project management roles that require the ability to set goals and objectives to achieve short-term and long-term results.
- – The desire to improve their leadership skills in international trade and tourism for the well-being of their regional community.
Webinar Series
| Month | Webinar | Agenda |
| 23 April | Session 1 | Introduction to the Program – launch with The Hon. Dan Tehan, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.Liz Ritchie, CEO, RAI to Chair Speakers/Presenters |
| 30 April | Session 2 | Understanding the International Markets and Trade – How to write a strategy (presented by Export Council of Australia) |
| 7 May | Session 3 | Cultural Influence and Negotiations (presented by Asialink) |
| 21 May | Session 4 | The Export Journey – Government Services to assist businesses within your region export (Presented by Austrade and DFAT) |
| 4 June | Session 5 | How to prepare for International Tourists post COVID(Presented by Tourism Australia) |
| 25 June | Session 6 | Project presentations and winner announcement. |
You can submit your application online. Applications close: Wednesday 6 April 2021.
