Indigenous Environmental Knowledge Short Course (Multi-country)

Applications for this Short Course are now open

Applications will close on 27 January 2025

Apply now

This Short Course will offer a unique opportunity for participants to explore Australian Indigenous environmental management and conservation practices.

The purpose of this course is to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to support and enhance environmental conservation work in their home countries. This Short Course also aims to facilitate a deep understanding of Indigenous perspectives on environmental management and conservation.

The course includes workshops, field visits (including a 2–3-night field visit to a remote community), and interactive sessions with Indigenous community members, Indigenous knowledge holders and community leaders, facilitating a meaningful understanding of Indigenous perspectives on environmental management and conservation.

Participants

This Short Course will be offered to approximately 15 participants from Nepal, Bangladesh and Mongolia.

Women, people with disability, people from diverse social backgrounds and people from diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics are encouraged to apply.

To be eligible, applicants from Nepal will need to meet the following criteria:

Specific: 

  • either identify as an Indigenous person or a person from a diverse ethnic background from Nepal or be a professional/researcher engaged in environmental management, Indigenous studies, sustainable development, cultural heritage or a similar field
  • demonstrate a strong commitment to contributing the skills and knowledge gained during the Short Course within and across participants’ organisations and community
  • willing to participate in a virtual ‘community of practice’ with other participants and the course provider to maintain connections made during the course
  • have occupied their current position for at least 12 months and not planning/scheduled to retire in the next 24 months
  • have at least two years relevant work experience
  • have access to the internet
  • demonstrate digital literacy including experience with online learning and meeting platforms.

General:

In addition to the course specific eligibility criteria listed above, applicants must:

  • be a citizen of Nepal currently residing in Nepal
  • not be applying for or hold permanent residency in either Australia or New Zealand, or be married to, engaged to, or a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency. This criterion applies at any stage of the application, selection or mobilisation phases of the course
  • be able to provide attested documents for processing a visa application to enter Australia for the duration of the Australian component of the course and satisfy all requirements of the Department of Home Affairs for an Australian Student Visa (Subclass 500) or an Australian Visitor (Business Visitor stream) Visa (Subclass 600)
  • not be a currently serving military personnel
  • obtain the necessary study and travel approvals from their employer and be available and committed to participate in the course based on the anticipated course schedule outlined below
  • not be a previous beneficiary of an Australia Awards study, training or professional development opportunity.

Other: 

  • must possess high standard of English language skill as no translation services will be offered
  • must possess Nepali passport having validity of at least six months from travel date.

This program is provisionally scheduled for March–May 2025 (TBC) and involves travel to Australia.

  • Component 1: Preliminary Learning Activities (Virtual), 3–5 March 2025
  • Component 2: Core Learning Elements (in Australia), 17–28 March 2025
  • Component 3: Applied Learning (Virtual), late May 2025 (TBC)

For full course details including context and delivery modality, please review the course’s concept note.

To apply for this Short Course, please visit https://oscar.australiaawardssouthasiamongolia.org/, register on the portal, and complete the application for the Indigenous Environmental Knowledge Short Course.

Submission deadline: 27 January 2025 at 5:00pm NPT.

The Australian Embassy in Nepal with assistance from the Managing Contractor, will determine the final list of participants for this Course. Please note that depending on the quality of applications submitted, participants may not ultimately be selected.

All individuals who submit completed applications will be informed on outcomes by email no later than 18 February 2025.

For any inquiries, please contact Australia Awards – Nepal by email or phone.