Commonwealth 2024 Professional Fellowships (Fully-Funded)

The Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are currently accepting applications from mid-career professionals who desire to enrich their expertise and capabilities within their specific field. This fellowship provides an excellent opportunity for individuals to make a transformative impact in their workplaces.

The Commonwealth Professional Fellowships offer mid-career professionals from low- and middle-income countries the chance to participate in a program of professional development by spending a period of time at a UK host organization that aligns with their sector.

The Commonwealth is an association of 54 diverse and sovereign member countries, most of which are former territories of the British Empire. It spans continents, cultures, and economies, promoting cooperation, democracy, and development among its members. Established on shared values, including democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, the Commonwealth fosters collaboration in various fields, such as trade, education, and environmental sustainability. With a commitment to promoting peace, prosperity, and equality, the Commonwealth serves as a platform for its nations to address global challenges collectively and to celebrate their rich cultural heritage and shared history.

SEE ALSO: Latest Fellowships

Fellowship Summary:

Fellowship Sponsor(s): Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK

Host Institution(s): UK host organisation

Fellowship Worth: Fully-funded

Number of Awards: Several

Study Level: Mid-career professionals

Nationality: See eligible Countries (below)

Requirement and Eligibility Criteria for the Commonwealth Professional Fellowships:

Applicants must be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
Have at least five years’ full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the Fellowship programme, by the proposed start of the fellowship – voluntary work experience will not be counted towards this minimum
Be in employment at the time of application at an organisation that they will return to upon completion of the Fellowship
Provide at least two references, one of which must be from their current employer.
Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of taking up the award)
Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject
Be available to start and complete their fellowship within prescribed dates

Eligible Countries:

Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

Application Procedures for the Commonwealth Professional Fellowships (How to Apply):

Applicants interested in the Commonwealth Professional Fellowships must complete an online application form and submit all required information before the application deadline.

The fellowships will be awarded for a period of six weeks to three months, starting from February 2024.

Please take note that all Commonwealth Professional Fellowships for the 2023/24 round fall under approved thematic areas. Thus, all applicants must be professionals working on relevant issues related to these themes.

In the application form, prospective fellows will be required to:

List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications they have obtained (where applicable).
Provide up to 10 publications and any prizes they have received (if applicable).
Detail their employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the program they wish to undertake in the UK (up to 100 words per employment).
Offer a statement highlighting the relevance of their previous work experience to the proposed fellowship (up to 300 words).
Provide names and positions of up to three referees who can comment on both the applicant’s capacity to benefit from the proposed fellowship in the UK and their ability to make a development impact afterwards. One of the referees must be the applicant’s current employer.
Present a Development Impact statement in four parts.

The first part of the Development Impact statement (up to 200 words) should explain how the proposed Fellowship aligns with the following:

Reducing reliance on fossil fuels, lowering rates of air pollution, or promoting marine conservation in line with the goals of COP 26 and SDGs 7, 13, and 14.
Addressing development issues at the global, national, and local levels.
Tackling development issues related to the theme of climate change and the wider sector.

Application Deadline: 16 August, 2023

For more information Visit the Official Website