RURAL women have until Thursday to apply for a scholarship offered by the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) in partnership with the federal government.
President of Women in Business Wagga Wagga Genevieve Smith said the 30 scholarships were an opportunity for country women to develop their careers and professional skills.
The scholarships are offered as part of the AICD Board Diversity Scholarship Program and since its launch in 2010 statistics found that the number of women on boards had significantly improved.
The award's total value is up to $12,500 and includes up to $2000 for travel costs to take part in the Company Directors Course and a year's free membership of Company Directors.
"Women in rural and regional areas are ideally positioned to serve on boards in urban areas as the commitments for face to face board meetings are usually only once a month or even once a quarter with the rest of the work able to be completed remotely from home," Ms Smith said.
"Encouraging and supporting more women to participate on boards will deliver greater diversity of the skills, knowledge and experience available to better manage the governance and scrutiny of Australian organisations to ensure their effective sustainability."
To be eligible applicants must live outside a metropolitan area and in a locality with a population less than 100,000.
Applications close at 5pm on July 31.