Commonwealth Professional Fellowships
Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships support mid-career professionals from developing Commonwealth countries to spend a period of time with a UK host organisation working in their field for a programme of professional development. Fellowships are typically three months but can be between one and six months in length, and can include limited time for attendance at short courses or conferences, as well as visits to other organisations. Programmes must have demonstrable development impact in the Fellow’s home country and the Fellow must be able to show how the knowledge and skills they will gain during the Fellowship will be disseminated after their return home.

Key features of Professional Fellowships

* Applications must come from an organisation in the UK willing to set up a programme and host the Fellow(s), or have the agreement of a separate organisation in the UK to act as the host (if the latter is the case, a letter will need to be supplied at the time of application to confirm the agreement).
* Organisations wishing to nominate a Fellow or Fellows will need to set up a suitable programme and identify the Fellow(s) themselves. A programme can include time spent within their own organisation, learning from colleagues in a structured manner and undertaking project work which meets their learning objectives, as well as time spent at other organisations within the UK and at conferences and a limited time on short courses.
* Funding can be given for programmes of between one and six months (though typically for three months). Justification is required for awards of more than three months.
* Applications are sought for programmes within the broadly defined fields of agriculture/fisheries/forestry, economic growth, education, engineering/science/technology, environment, governance, and public health.
* Organisations can apply to host up to six Fellows in one year.
* Fellows must be Commonwealth citizens, refugees, or British protected persons and must be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country.
* Fellows must normally have at least five years’ relevant work experience in the field within which they wish to undertake the Fellowship.
* A Commonwealth Professional Fellowship covers the living expenses for the Fellow as well as a return airfare to the UK. It also provides £800 funding support to the host organisation, with a budget of up to £3,000 available for attendance at conferences, on short courses, and other eligible costs.
* Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are not for academic study or research of any sort. However, academics can be nominated for programmes of professional development in academic management.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship, candidates should:
* Be Commonwealth citizens, refugees or British protected persons, and must be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
* Normally have at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the Fellowship.
* Be available to commence their Fellowship within prescribed dates as stated on the CSC website
* Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the last five years
* Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study in the UK. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject The CSC wishes to promote equal opportunity, gender equity and cultural exchange. Applications are encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.

How to apply

Applications for Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are encouraged from a wide range of professional,charitable, public and private sector organisations based in the UK. The organisation making the application need not necessarily be the body that will host the Fellow(s) while in the UK but must be UK-based, as this organisation will be the CSC’s point of contact concerning all aspects of the Fellowship(s). Where a different organisation is performing the role of host, however, the nominating organisation is responsible for securing a signed statement from the host organisation, indicating its agreement to the arrangements proposed and the formation of a detailed programme of activities from the outset, to include with the application.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The closing date for applications for 2014 (Round 2) Commonwealth Professional Fellowships is 14 April 2014.

More Details :

Click to access prospectus-professional-fellowships-2014.pdf

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