EDMONTON – Ten university and college students will get a jump on their post-secondary education next fall thanks to the scholarship program run by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees local that represents employees of ATB Financial.

Each of the 10 winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship, said Lyne Boucher, Chair of AUPE Local 020.

"We gave four $1,000 scholarships in each of the first two years of the program, and it was very successful and very popular with our members," said Boucher, who works at the ATB Financial Jasper Branch in Edmonton.

"We decided to expand it to 10 scholarships this year, and we hope that by doing so we can demonstrate to our members that their union cares about more than strictly workplace issues," she said.

AUPE President Dan MacLennan praised the Local 020 initiative. "Almost everyone in our society recognizes the value of union membership in terms of wages, benefits and job security," he said. "These scholarships also make the point to members that AUPE can offer much more for members and their communities."

Boucher said the rules of the program stipulate that the recipient must be part of the immediate family of a Local 020 member, so in addition to children, husbands, wives and even parents may apply if they’re part of the same household.

Winners will be selected by lottery, said Boucher, because the Local 20 executive, which provided the funds for the program, wanted to make sure it was available to all members.

Local 020 members can apply for the scholarships by getting an application form from their AUPE Union Steward or worksite contact, or by going to the AUPE at aupe.org and following the links to the form.

Applications must be submitted by Sept. 1.

Prospective recipients must be able to provide proof of enrolment at a post-secondary institution or trade school with a minimum enrolment period of one year.

local 020 is not the only AUPE Local to offer scholarships to students. Twenty children or dependents of members of Local 012 – which represents government technical and support workers such as meat inspectors, technologists and gardeners – will receive a $500 scholarship to help with their post-secondary education this year.

Applications on behalf of children under 25 or the spouses of any age of Local 012 members must be submitted by mail by July 15, 2002. An application form can be downloaded from Local 012’s Web site – www.telusplanet.net/public/local12/.

To qualify, students must be enrolled full time in a degree or diploma program at an accredited post-secondary institution.

The 20 winners of that scholarship program will be selected based on a combination of personal financial needs, their grade on an essay written by each applicant and other factors.

Click here to download Local 020 Scholarship Form

For more information:
Dan MacLennan, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301 or 780-910-8392 (cell phone)
Lyne Boucher, Chair, AUPE Local 020, 780-427-8300 or 780-484-7630
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (cell phone)

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