- 541 students at 46 schools across Queensland will be helped over the next 12 months by the Queensland Government's School to Work Transition (S2WT) program.
- The School to Work Transition program supports school students at risk of not transitioning successfully from school to further education, training or employment.
- The Queensland Government has committed $1 million each year for three years to the program (2022-2025).
The Queensland Government's School to Work Transition (S2WT) program will deliver six projects that will take in the North Coast, South East, and North and Far North Queensland regions in 2023-24.
They will introduce students to a range of industries including manufacturing, construction, engineering, tourism and hospitality, agribusiness and health.
The School to Work Transition program is part of the Good people. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032. The projects will cover: Hervey Bay; Dunwich; Mount Isa; Thursday Island; Caloundra; Caboolture; Gympie; Ayr; Nambourk; Bowen; and Home Hill.
Quotes attributed to Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer:
"The S2WT program is giving students important access to career opportunities they didn't have before.
"For example, three projects will assist 131 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from rural, regional and remote areas including Stradbroke Island, Mount Isa and Thursday Island.
"In Mount Isa, the North West Hospital and Health Service's project will deliver a 10-week pre-skilling program for 24 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students.
"It will develop non-clinical, clinical, and cultural competencies in preparation for employment within the Hospital and Health Service.
"The project will deliver 'Ground Up' training that will prepare First Nations school students for a career as a nurse, midwife or other chosen health care career.
"Another project by STEPS Social Business will be delivered over a 12-month period to sixty senior school students with a disability.
"The project will involve six intakes of 10 students to successfully transition into further training or paid employment through focused career planning and job search skills development.
"The project will provide relevant and practical training to learn appropriate work-related behaviours, personal presentation requirements, improved communication with work colleagues, understanding work expectations and customer service skills.
"The Queensland Farmers' Federation will deliver the Exploring School to Ag Work Pathways project to 150 students throughout the state from Caboolture to Home Hill.
"The project will provide industry-related activities to attract and prepare students for careers in Agribusiness.
"Project activities will include employer information sessions, excursions and work experiences for students, promotion of Certificate II in Rural Operations and school-based apprenticeships and traineeships in the Agribusiness industry."
Quotes attributed to Education Minister Grace Grace:
"The School to Work Transitions program is an outstanding example of the Palaszczuk Government's commitment to supporting students transition from school onto their next steps into further education and employment.
"It provides a vital avenue to support students in their senior years of schooling, preparing them with real world experiences of the world of work.
"The S2WT program is an example of schools, the community and industry working together to provide quality schooling experiences that change lives and bring communities together.
"This idea is central to our education strategy, Equity and Excellence: Realising the potential of every student."
Explainer/fast fact and or further information:
The priority cohorts under the S2WT program are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from complex socio-economic backgrounds, rural and remote students, cohorts underrepresented in the workforce and those in areas with high youth unemployment and/or with significant workforce shortages that could be filled by school leavers.
Where possible the S2WT Program looks to encourage the commencement of a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship.
Round one included seven innovative projects in 2022-23 to expand the Gateway to Industry Schools program.
These projects covered seven different industries including automotive; retail; fitness, sport and recreation; health; aviation; information and communication technology and screen and media.
