Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge said Australian community language grants will deliver a stronger Australia.
More young Australians will have the opportunity to learn another language through the Aiustralian government’s $10m community language grants program, said a statement from Minister Tudge’s office.
A total of 356 community language schools across Australia will benefit from the program which provides a base payment of $1,500 and a per capita payment of up to $60,000 in grant funding.
The grants can be used to support their operational costs such as staff wages, teaching materials and resources, as well as professional development programs.
“Dual language skills give young Australians a competitive edge in an increasing globalised workforce, and build our capacity as a nation to engage openly and confidently with the rest of the world,” Mr Tudege said.
“It also strengthens social cohesion by connecting young Australians to other cultures, which is so important given our diverse multicultural society.”
Community language schools across Australia provide language programs in 70 different languages, teaching more than 100,000 school-aged children (up to year 12) after school or on weekends.
Applications for a second stream of funding, with up to $25,000 available for projects that support the community language school sector, are currently under assessment with a decision regarding outcomes to be made soon.
More information on the Program is available on GrantConnect, the Government’s community grants website www.grants.gov.au