Government Funding Boost: SAE and ACAP Receive $1.26 Million for Byron Bay Campus

SAE Creative Media Institute (SAE) and the Australian College of Applied Professions (ACAP) are pleased to announce their collective attainment of $1.26 million in funding from the Australian Government’s Destination Australia program. This substantial grant will facilitate 36 scholarships, fostering educational opportunities in creative media and counselling at the vibrant Byron Bay campus on Ewingsdale Road. This initiative aims to invigorate growth in the Northern Rivers region.

The Destination Australia program empowers eligible tertiary education providers, like SAE and ACAP, to offer scholarships amounting to $15,000 per student annually. These scholarships support students studying and residing in regional Australia. Priority will be given to domestic students from underrepresented backgrounds, including those from low socio-economic status, first-generation tertiary students, individuals with disabilities, and First Nations people. The program covers various study areas at SAE, encompassing animation, audio, film, games, and music, while ACAP offers eligible courses like the one-year Diploma of Counselling Skills and the three-year Bachelor of Counselling.

SAE Byron Bay campus foyer.

ACAP’s CEO, George Garrop, emphasised the funding’s significance and the anticipated prospects within the counselling industry. “This investment will provide financial assistance to domestic counselling students aspiring to live and study in the Northern Rivers region,” he remarked. “Furthermore, these funds will bolster the burgeoning counselling sector, forecasted to grow by 14% until 2026.”

Dr. Luke McMillan, SAE’s General Manager, expressed enthusiasm about the funding, lauding the exceptional educational experience and support offered at the Byron Bay campus. “This announcement underscores SAE’s commitment to extending financial support to new international and domestic students, enabling them to pursue their aspirations,” he stated. “Simultaneously, it contributes to the growth of the Northern Rivers’ creative media industry.”

SAE Byron Bay Campus.

Byron Bay boasts a thriving creative community, hosting the most significant concentration of creative industry professionals in regional Australia. The Northern Rivers region harbors the highest count of creative practitioners and enterprises outside the nation’s capital cities. Fernanda Gerdes, an alumna and former recipient of the Destination Australia scholarship, shared her transformative journey.

“Receiving the Destination Australia scholarship transformed my life,” Fernanda shared. “It not only facilitated my relocation from Brazil to Byron Bay but also empowered me to establish a thriving art business after graduation.”

This financial infusion reinforces SAE and ACAP’s dedication to delivering exceptional creative media and counselling programs, concurrently bolstering the Northern Rivers’ economy.

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