The state government is to extend a program that provides work experience placements for secondary students.
State Education Minister Martin Dixon stepped in with $5.1 million last year to support the industry-focused program, and he said last week that funding would continue.
“Under a Victorian Coalition government, this program will continue to benefit vulnerable students who need strong pathways from school into further education and work,” Mr Dixon said.
Hume Whittlesea Workplace Learning, a joint RMIT and Kangan Institute venture, is responsible for the program in Melbourne’s north.
Whittlesea’s workplace co-ordinator, Sharon Smith, says the funding will allow her to continue speaking to local employers about providing workplace learning opportunities such as work experience or school-based apprenticeships for secondary students.
Youth unemployment has hit 15.4 per cent in Melbourne’s north-west and 13.3 per cent in the north-east. The state average is 12.4 per cent.
