Scholarship Program
If you’re passionate about health and fitness and have what it takes to help your community stay fit, strong and connected then we want to hear from you!
At Hutcheon & Pearce, we’re all about powering farms and keeping farmers moving. We’re committed to building stronger, more resilient regional communities and finding new ways to make that happen.
So, we’ve partnered with our good friends at Active Farmers and FIT College to offer six EMPOWERED Scholarships valued at $7000 each (including training courses, equipment, uniform and community launch event) to see more qualified personal trainers in our regional areas. Don’t miss out!
Let's get
moving.
Complete the form here and we’ll contact you when the future Empowered Scholarships Program announcements take place!
What are previous Scholarship students saying?
Where abouts do you originate from and where are you training from now?
I was born in Cumbria in the UK, I came out to Australia with my partner in 2017, for what we thought would be a years backpacking holiday, we came to Hillston to do our 88 days farm work & fell in love with the place & the people. Fast forward 7 years as were still here!
Why did you apply for the EMPOWERED scholarship and what does it mean to you?
I applied for the EMPOWERED scholarship as our town previously had an awesome PT trainer but she relocated. Our town had a high number of community members really keen on health & fitness & really missed having access to local classes. I had big boots to fill but decided I’d like to give it a go and bring fitness back to Hillston. The EMPOWERED scholarship has given so much to both me & my community & it is so essential for the lives of our locals to keep both physically & mentally fit/healthy. I love taking the sessions, seeing the participants go from strength to strength both physically & mentally during sessions.
What do you love about being a part of the Active Farmers Network?
The Active Farmers Network is like a huge family! Everyone is so supportive, the team at Active Farmers are fantastic & always on hand to help out where needed. I’ve attended a couple of Active Farmers events and it’s always so surprising that despite being an Australia wide organisation (& Australia is a huge country!) It’s actually quite a small world! Each time I’ve been talking to someone I’ve only just met at an event, yet they know a friend/relative of where I work. There’s something so very special about the agricultural industry & the connections you can make. I’m so thankful to Active Farmers & the EMPOWERED scholarship program for the opportunity & love sharing my passion for health & fitness with others in a safe & fun environment.
What are you up to now or what are your goals for your community?
I run 2x Active Farmers classes weekly in Hillston, Mondays at 6pm & Fridays at 6am, my classes are well attended and in the past year I have had over 100x different participants join in which is so fantastic to see. A goal for Active Farmers – Hillston would be to see more men attend our weekly sessions!
Where abouts do you originate from and where are you training from now?
I grew up in Yeppoon, QLD and now live on a property near Clermont, Central Queensland with my husband and children. I run classes at our local community hall in Kilcummin, approx. 30 km from our property.
Why did you apply for the EMPOWERED scholarship and what does it mean to you?
I applied for the scholarship so I could integrate Active Farmers into my community. Our community is quite widespread, spanning over hundreds of kms so it can become quite isolating. The scholarship has allowed me to get weekly classes up and running therefore providing an opportunity for people to get together for a chat and a laugh. Our farmers are already benefiting from the opportunity.
What do you love about being a part of the Active Farmers Network?
I love that Active Farmers targets small communities with limited resources and supports mental wellbeing as well as health. All the Trainers are also supported and supportive of each other no matter how far spread we are!
What are you up to now or what are your goals for your community?
I am currently running two classes a week at the Kilcummin Hall for my community. I would like to keep encouraging more to join my classes and also, with the support of Active Farmers, hold a mindfulness/mental health workshop in my community.
Where abouts do you originate from and where are you training from now?
I am from a small town in central Victoria called Avoca where l grew up on a sheep farm with my parents and 9 siblings. Mum and Dad didn’t own a TV so we made our own fun and helped on the farm.
I am qualified baker and I currently own a bakery in Donald VIC where I live with my wife and two children.
I will be running my Active Farmers sessions from Donald in the near future and I’m looking forward to engaging with the community.
Why did you apply for the EMPOWERED scholarship and what does it mean to you?
It’s been a dream of mine since l was a child to be involved in fitness so when the chance arose to get involved and gain some qualifications l jumped at the chance. It is such a great opportunity and l am very grateful to be a part of it.
What do you love about being a part of the Active Farmers Network?
I love Active Farmers because the concept is amazing.
Sometimes rural areas get left out because of their location but this gives everyone an opportunity to do something great for themselves in a friendly and social environment.
What are you up to now or what are your goals for your community?
I am currently completing my cert 4 in fitness and looking forward to passing my knowledge on to the local community of Donald in the near future.
I can’t wait to get started l have been working out on myself for the past 7 years so it will be great for me personally as well as for my community.
What is EMPOWERED?
EMPOWERED is a scholarship program open to people in the rural and regional communities Australia-wide. It’s designed to help motivated people from regional areas become personal trainers and go on to work in their communities as part of the Active Farmers network.
Through an EMPOWERED Scholarship, you will have the opportunity to get fit, become qualified personal trainer, work with people in your community to improve their physical fitness, mental wellbeing and connectedness, and gain a new career and sense of purpose.
What is involved?
The EMPOWERED scholarship program will pay for you to complete your Certificate III and IV in Personal Training through FIT College and its online study modules. Scholarship recipients must sign a contract with Active Farmers to teach for two years in their community following completion of Certificate III and while completing Certificate IV.
As part of your studies, you’ll cover topics such as Healthy Eating, Functional Movement Assessment, Introduction to Exercise Science, Programming for Personal Training and Fitness Business.
It would normally take approximately 24 weeks to become a fully qualified personal trainer when studying part-time and the FIT College program is a nationally accredited qualification. Read more about online study with FIT College.
What support will I get?
You’ll be part of a cohort of six hand-picked regional people going through the program together. You’ll also have access to a team of FIT College Tutors who support your learning and you’ll become part of the Active Farmers network, which provides support and resources to 33 trainers across the country.
You’ll also get an equipment starter kit worth $1300, uniform and a launch event to kickstart your community.
What work opportunities will I have after study?
Personal Training is a highly flexible role that you can fit in around your circumstances and you can choose to work with individuals, groups, children or older adults. It’s up to you.
With a FIT College qualification, you will be recognised as a qualified trainer wherever you go in the world, but the EMPOWERED program guarantees you two years of work with Active Farmers. Once that is completed, you can stay on with Active Farmers, create your own business, or ideally blend both.
How do I apply?
It’s simple. Create a short video outlining what you love about fitness and your community, why you want to start your personal training journey, how you think you can empower others to stay fit and well and how having a local Active Farmers Trainer would benefit your community.
When will the successful applicants be announced?
The competition is open now until 18th October 2024. Our panel of judges will then assess all application videos and select six applicants to receive an EMPOWERED
scholarship. Winners will be announced publicly on this website and social media on 8th November 2025. All winners will be notified prior to this public announcement and their training will commence in February 2025.
FOR ANY FURTHER INFORMATION OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL emarketing@hutcheonandpearce.com.au
Our Partners
Beginning in 2015, Active Farmers was designed to bring the entire community together through regular group fitness classes in a fun and interactive environment and tackle the high prevalence of mental illness in the bush.
Today Active Farmers is a not-for-profit with the vision to build stronger and more resilient farming communities. Led by a fantastic board, three part-time staff, multiple volunteers and a team of 51 qualified personal trainers, Active Farmers exists in over 60 small farming communities across the country. Their goal is to grow to service more than 100 small farming communities nationally and ultimately save more lives by taking a proactive and grassroots approach towards health.
Registering as an RTO for fitness in 2009, FIT College aims to deliver only the best Fitness, Personal Training, Weight Management and Fitness Management courses both face-to-face from multiple campuses in Australia and the Pacific region and online for students all around the world. Since its inception, FIT College has achieved the lowest rating for risk and subsequently achieved the longest available period of five-year registration periods at each renewal audit.
As our EMPOWERED fitness partner, FIT College has given us six free Certificate III places and is offering the Certificate IV at half price, which is a contribution of $16,500. We thank Mark and the team at FIT College for their generosity.