A combined effort by the City of Greater Bendigo, the Goldfields Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN), state government and central Victorian businesses is boosting student understanding of the world of work.
The Career Horizons website, developed pro bono by technology company Activ8, is helping streamline and expand the traditional work experience process by linking students and education providers to work and education experiences offered by local business and industry.
A Passions and Pathways project is educating senior primary school students about the importance of work in adult life and the variety of jobs on offer in the regional city and its surrounds. Students have heard from young industry ambassadors recruited by the LLEN; undertaken workplace visits, and participated in community projects designed to increase their understanding of trade and professional jobs and give them ideas about their own future work options.
Both are initiatives of the City of Greater Bendigo’s Economic Development Unit where business development manager, Peter Jeffrey, says Career Horizons has already attracted interest from neighbouring councils with Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander Shires signing up to use it.
He says the two projects aim to provide a practical context for education and support development of a skilled and sustainable future workforce.
‘‘Employers say that if young people are exposed to work in senior primary years, when they get to high school they will have a better understanding of why they are studying what they are studying.’’ Generational unemployment is an issue in low socio-economic areas of central Victoria and changes to education funding, government programs and the nature of work all create a need for more information about work opportunities now and in the future.
Jeffery is concerned about anticipated Commonwealth funding cuts to Victoria’s 31 LLENs — community based organisations that work with young people to increase their workforce participation and engagement — and about the possible impact of job cuts at La Trobe University, the major provider of tertiary education in Bendigo.
The changing nature of work is often not well understood by parents and educators, he says, so it is important to create opportunities for young people to see for themselves: ‘‘There are a lot of businesses here that operate without fanfare but have global customers. Students may know that a manufacturing company employs tradespeople but they often don’t realise it also needs sales and marketing, accounts and front office staff.’’ Spreading the word about local innovation to the adult community is also important. He nominates the popular Bendigo Inventor Awards, which support small and micro businesses with recognition, publicity and prizes, as one of his more successful initiatives since joining the council staff five years ago.
Jeffery moved to Bendigo after selling a screen printing and promotional products business in Collingwood, established when he was just 23.
‘‘I’m the type of person who does enjoy change and variety. I met a girl from Bendigo and decided the lifestyle here was too good to pass up,’’ he says.
Working in recruitment gave him an entree to the regional business sector and he went on to work with Bendigo Community Telco, an offshoot of Bendigo Bank, that increases regional access to technology and returns a percentage of profits to community groups, and with not for profit social enterprise operator Future Employment Opportunities before joining the council.
Jeffery is undertaking an MBA and working to broaden the funding base for employment education initiatives. He is also looking at ways to boost the profile of professional service providers from the local area and mentoring opportunities for tertiary and TAFE students.
