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David Jucha (ILF2017)

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Institution: University of South Australia
Course: Master of Business Administration

My desire to complete postgraduate studies had been growing since I was promoted to the Executive Group within my organisation. I felt that I lacked the financial capacity and the support network to commence a postgraduate course. A regular scholarship would have solved the financial issue however I was fortunate to discover the Industry Leaders Fund (ILF) which could also provide me with a professional support network.

Unfortunately, I had missed the annual ILF information session however I still submitted my online application to complete Stage 1 of the process. My application lacked some key content and within a few days I received a supportive phone call from Geoff Vogt. He offered some great advice and I refined my application and re-submitted it for the Masters of Business (MBA) at the University of South Australia. I progressed to Stage 2 of the application process which was a more detailed written online application. The final stage was a short interview with the ILF panel. I found the application process very efficient in terms of time commitment but also a valuable exercise of self examination. I received a $7000 (AUD) grant from the ILF to assist with the course fees for the first year of the MBA.

The MBA course has helped to improve my executive knowledge and work experience. The flexible structure of the courses has given me the ability to balance my family life, study commitments and work. I can choose to attend a mixture internal or external course lectures and assessments dependant on my current non-study commitments. The most pleasing element of the MBA has been its applicability to my daily work tasks providing instant benefits to myself and my organisation.

My professional network has expanded due to the growing numbers of ILF grant recipients. I have taken new opportunities to work on larger local projects which in turn have created more jobs for other South Australians.

I am now in my final year of the MBA and the course continues to provide me with new tools for working within my company to help it expand and succeed. I continue to be highly motivated by my new learning opportunities and would recommend other local leaders to apply for an ILF grant.