Campaspe Cohuna Local Learning and Employment Network project manager Jane Reid, speaking last week at the Rochester Rotary Community Chat, said that was the core objective of the CCLLEN.
She said participation in education and training was a key goal of the group, and offering a diverse range of programs influenced that result.
"We get the question about what a LLEN is regularly,“ she said.
“There are 31 across the state. They were set up to help the government in education and every four years there is a contract up for grabs to fill that role.
“We do a job that, without us, the government would struggle to fill.”
Ms Reid is a key player in brokering relationships between schools and key stakeholders in training, business and industry.
“The goal is to successfully transition our young people through education and training into employment,” she said.
She works with a diverse range of community leaders in the Campaspe and Gannawarra shires to achieve the goals.
Ms Reid said there were four programs the LLEN used to achieve its goals.
Among those is the Beacon Foundation, an Echuca-Moama organisation that operates a careers-based program.
Campaspe Youth Partnerships involves 22 different organisations, while the L2P driver education program and the MATES youth mentoring program also come under her umbrella of expertise.
“With the VET school-based traineeship and school-based apprenticeships we are successfully encouraging students to stay engaged in school,” she said.
Rochester students have been involved with Foodmach, Byfords Engineering, the Bridge Project and River Port engineering in one of several specialised programs with an engineering focus.
Last week Rochester Secondary College also staged mock interviews as a component of careers education — completing applications and going through the interview process with a community volunteer.
Ms Reid said the Campaspe L2P program was aimed at giving driving experience to 16- to 21-year-olds who would otherwise not have that opportunity.
She said the MATES mentoring program, launched in Kyabram in 2015, was now building momentum in Rochester.
“For two years students were very isolated and the program has stalled,” Ms Reid said.
“We ask for a year-long commitment from the student and the mentor. A lot of students who come through the program need that time to build a sense of trust and relationship.
“We have several great stories: one girl who started with her mentor in Year 10 is now in her fourth year of university and has maintained contact with her mentor.”
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