Australia Awards scholarships provide citizens of Laos with the opportunity to obtain a qualification at an Australian tertiary institution, including technical colleges.

Awards will be offered for commencement in 2024 within the following allocations:

• Vocational Education and Training (VET): diploma and advanced diploma,
• Masters Degree, and
• Doctorate Degree (PhD).

While applicants may nominate their preferred level of study, the final decision on which level of study to be offered will be determined by the selection panel.

In recognition of the genuine development challenges across all sectors in Laos, applications are encouraged from all fields of study, except for general business courses (business, business administration and business management), and education management.

Applicants should select courses that align with their experience and qualifications or provide a strong justification for courses that represent a shift in career focus or direction.

The governments of Australia and Laos regularly review priority fields of study together and adjust the emphasis of the program. For Intake 2024, the following fields of study are human resource development priorities:

• Economics: public financial management, economic governance, entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism and hospitality, international trade, agribusiness, infrastructure management, information technology, connectivity, digital transformation, architecture, food science and technology, engineering and logistics;
• Health Security: public health, emergency operation management, communicable disease outbreak management, epidemiology, linkages between human and animal health, gender-based health care, medical technology, nutrition and dietetics, occupational health and safety, mental health and psychology;
• Stability: basic education, inclusive education, sustainable development, sustainable agriculture, stability in food and water supply, water resource management, human rights, gender equality, disability and social inclusion, international law, monitoring and evaluation; and
• Sustainable Environment: environmental management, disaster management, climate change, forest and wildlife conservation, forestry resource management and urban planning.