Advanced Education Minister Don Morgan announced today that 1,882 scholarships were awarded to Saskatchewan post-secondary students through the new Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship program in 2011-12.
"I am pleased to see so many students benefiting from the new Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship," Morgan said. "In our government's Plan for Growth, we are focusing on post-secondary participation and completion rates to help meet our target of adding 60,000 more people to our workforce by 2020. This new scholarship will help achieve this by providing Saskatchewan post-secondary students with opportunities to access the education and training they need to pursue their career goals."
In 2011, the provincial government committed $3 million in new funding to create the scholarship which fulfills a 2007 election platform commitment. It matches government funds with money raised by post-secondary institutions through private sector and community-based partners.
The institutions determine the amount of individual scholarship awards, giving them the flexibility to attract partner donors and provide assistance to students. The scholarship focuses primarily on innovation and excellence and is targeted at students in new and emerging areas of study or fields of study where innovative work is being done.
Of the total funding, $2.4 million (80 per cent) was targeted toward areas of excellence and innovation with more than 1,200 recipients receiving an average of $2,700. The remaining $600,000 (20 per cent) was targeted toward areas of opportunity with 641 recipients receiving an average of $1,000.
"Going forward, we want to provide even more opportunities for students through this scholarship," Morgan said. "In 2012-13, we have increased the total government commitment toward the Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship to $5 million, which will provide assistance to approximately 3,000 students. This will help keep Saskatchewan moving forward."
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