National recognition for scholarship program
TOOWOOMBA accounting and financial services firm Power Tynan has been recognised at the 2018 Accountants Daily Australian Accounting Awards.
It was awarded with Graduate Program of the Year for the third year in a row, acknowledging the firm’s scholarship program run in conjunction with the University of Southern Queensland.
Based on graduate development initiatives, the award considered how the firm developed and retained quality team members through a structured development program.
Executive director Sharon Baldwin said the Power Tynan Scholarship Program offered final year high school graduates the opportunity to study a business or commerce degree part-time at USQ while working for the company on a fulltime basis.
“We offer between one and four scholarships each year and have done so for the last ten years,” Ms Baldwin said.
“We are extremely proud of this program. In regional areas such as Toowoomba and Stanthorpe, it can be difficult to entice the younger generation to stay in town after graduation from high school.
“However we have retained all scholarship recipients upon graduation and, due to this program, are a significant employer within our district.”
Power Tynan was named as a finalist in ten categories at the Australian Accounting Awards; Diversified Firm of the Year, Business Advisory Firm of the Year, Graduate Program of the Year, Innovator of the Year, Community Engagement Program of the Year, Thought Leader of the Year (Amanda Kenafake), Executive of the Year (Gilda Brisotto), SMSF Auditor of the Year (Mark Silvester), Rising Star of the Year (Kathryn Sainsbury) and Student of the Year (Jacob Oyat).
Mr Oyat is the most recent graduate of the program, after being awarded the scholarship in 2014.