WiseTech Global founder Richard White expands ‘earn and learn’ program
Tech billionaire Richard White is increasing the number of people who, like Fiona Chuang, can come straight out of high school and earn $300,000 in salary, shares and other benefits while studying. Get the details.
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Sydney tech billionaire Richard White is expanding his program that pays university students $300,000 while they do a degree.
Mr White’s company, WiseTech Global, began its “earn & learn” program with his alma mater UTS last year with an intake of 30 young computer science undergraduates.
Next year, WiseTech wants to enrol at least 100 of the best and brightest. Applications opened this week.
Mr White told The Daily Telegraph that he is also looking to broaden the range of institutions involved.
“We have had strong interest and productive discussions with three other universities including high ranked institutions in Sydney and Melbourne and are considering how to expand the program to provide additional choice of institution and locations,” he said.
“We are primarily focused on the benefits to our “earn & learn” undergraduate employees and will work through how to expand the program as we grow the intake to over 100 students for next year.”
Fiona Chuang, who is part of this year’s “earn & learn” intake, said “it makes it so much easier to learn without the stress.”
Ms Chuang, 18, completed the HSC in 2023 and is now working four days a week at WiseTech while doing a UTS computer science degree part-time.
The idea of one day working in tech first came to Ms Chuang when she was in year 4 and doing a school holiday coding camp.
She said she recalled thinking “I could do this forever.”
“I can learn freely and at the end of uni I’ll have my degree, no HECS debt and I’ll have four years of experience working at one of the top tech companies in Australia,” Ms Chuang said.
The total value of the salary and scholarship package to students in the WiseTech/UTS program is $300,000 over four years, which is 12 months longer than the standard degree. WiseTech recently opened applications for 2025.
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