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Priority
Areas - Disability - Indigenous - Rural & Remote - Urban - Years 9&10 - Pushing the Boundaries | |
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Urban Project
19-Dec-2000
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School Link program
ECEF Priority Areas project by Sonja Bairstow |
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| The aim of the School Link's Program was to foster links with schools, government agencies and local industries, to assist young people in the transistion from school to work and/or further education. | |
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Another aim was to also increase the number of school-based trainees/new apprenticeships. The facilitators role was to work with teachers and VET coordinators to identify the schools and students particular needs, and to then 'bring in' the appropriate 'expert' agency to work with the school and students. |
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Schools were asked to participate through an expression of interest. The following schools participated in the project: - Belridge Senior High School - Clarkson Community High School - Craigie Senior High School - Duncraig Senior High School - Girrawheen Senior High School - Mirrabooka Senior High School - Padbury Senior High School - Gingin District High School - Yanchep District High School A management committee was established to oversee the project with representatives from, - The City of Wanneroo - Local schools - Education Department VET in Schools - The North Metropolitan Area Consultative Committee Research was initially undertaken to identify the various agencies that were available to provide assistance to schools. This was achieved by researching local council and community noticeboards, the white and yellow pages of the telephone directories and websites.Contact was then made with all the agencies identified through this research to establish the nature and quantum services and support they were able to provide to schools. Reseach for the project also identified that the support requirements differed from one school to another. To enable schools to assess their own needs, the information collected from the various agencies was collated and placed in files. Schools accessed the files during personal visit or group meetings. Through this method schools have been able to access information that has been relevant and suited to their personal needs. The identification and linking of a number of schools with relevant agencies has provided additional support for students with career counselling, job opportunities and or further education. There was really no one best way to maintain communication with all the different agencies, schools, the community and industry, but through personal visits,telephone,e-mail, facsimile and group meetings, avenues of communication were established. To increase the number of school-based trainees it was necessary to identify a model that could be supported by schools. The model that was eventually adopted was to convert the part time work that students were already involved with to school-based traineeships. To establish where students were working part time schools surveyed year 10 and 11 students. Of the students surveyed it was found that 28% had part time employment, and averaged from 4-20 hours per week.This information provided the basis for targeted marketing of school-based trainees to employers. School-based trainees have also been marketed to employers through business associations. The links created through the program identified that a number of large organisations such as Woolworths, Bunning and Chicken Treat see school-based trainees as the first step in employment for their future workforce.These organisations are therefore keen to progress school-based trainees in partnership with schools, and have indicated their willingness to market school-based trainees to parents and their existing workforce. School-based trainees have also been promoted in school newsletters,school career expos and the media. Since the commencement of the program there has been a 300% increase in the number of school-based traineeships in the region. The full impact of the Link Program will not be realised until 2001 when a significant number of schools will be offering school-based traineeships to their students. |
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Key contact: |
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Sonja Bairstow City of Wanneroo Locked Bag 1 Wanneroo.WA 6946 Ph: 08 9405 2677 Fax: 08 9405 2699 e-mail: bairss@west_coast.training.wa.gov.au |
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