Victorian nurses, midwives and students will be able to apply for nursing degree subsidies and scholarships from 26 April as part of the State’s $270 million bid to recruit and train 17,000 nurses.

The government hopes that removing the financial barriers to studying and training will attract more people to the professions.

As part of the initiative, more than 10,000 Victorian nursing and midwifery students who began their studies this year or next will be reimbursed up to $16,500 – covering the cost of their degree.

All new domestic students enrolling in a professional-entry nursing or midwifery course will receive $3,000 a year over a maximum of three years while studying, and the remaining $7,500 once they complete two years’ work in a Victorian public health service.

There are also strong incentives for nursing and midwifery graduates to take up work in the Victorian public health sector, with an additional $5,000 in bonus payments after two years of work – with the first round of new graduates set to receive initial payments in May.

The package also includes support for nurses and midwives re-joining the workforce – with scholarships of up to $15,000 to update qualifications and complete any training required to get their registrations up to date.

Additionally, scholarships are available to support up to 2,000 enrolled nurses to become registered nurses, for postgraduate nurses to complete studies in specialty areas like intensive care, emergency, paediatrics and cancer care, and to recruit 100 extra highly skilled nurse practitioners across the state.

To apply, visit health.vic.gov.au/nursing-and-midwifery