Mill Park and Whittlesea are grappling with some of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the nation.
New research by the Brotherhood of St Lawrence has mapped unemployment hotspots for people aged 15 to 24 and found some regions with rates above 15 per cent.
After analysing Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the organisation revealed youth unemployment in Victoria had hit a 14.2 per cent high at last December 31.
Among the regions faring worst were Melbourne’s north-east, including Whittlesea, Mill Park and Greensborough, which recorded youth unemployment of 15.7 per cent.
Brotherhood of St Lawrence executive director Tony Nicholson said it was deeply concerning that so many young people couldn’t find work.
“Digging into the data, we find some regions bearing a much heavier burden than others.”
TAFE-cuts impact
Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Emma King said state government cuts to TAFEs of almost $300 million in 2012 had had a significant impact on the employment prospects of young people in Hume and Whittlesea.
“We saw a real spike in youth unemployment in the outer north when the state government pulled out of TAFEs. On top of this, manufacturing jobs are being replaced by jobs in the service sector,” Ms King said.
She urged the state government to support more flexible learning options, such as The Pavilion School at Mill Park, which offers flexible, supported learning.
Its education model is also used in Broadmeadows, Caulfield, Mildura and Warrnambool.
