Disadvantaged Victorians will be helped by $6.6 million to fund five innovative Work and Learning Centres across Victoria.
Social exclusion can mean some people find it difficult to get the skills they need and connect to jobs. Five Work and Learning Centres in Ballarat, Geelong, Moe, Shepparton and Carlton offer work and training opportunities, supporting people to grow and develop while boosting their access to jobs and training.
Minister for Housing, Disability & Ageing, Martin Foley, today joined representatives of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Ballarat Neighbourhood centre, local service agencies and members of the Ballarat Work and Learning Centre Jobs Club to make the funding announcement in Ballarat.
Work and Learning Centres offer tailored, individual support to local job-seekers to help them overcome vocational and non-vocational issues that may be barriers to employment.
The Centres also work closely with local employers to help clients become job-ready, win a job and keep it.
More than 2,200 individuals have been supported by the Centres so far. Over the next four years, the centres will help 2,800 Victorians and create more than 1,400 jobs.
The Centres complement the work of the Andrews Labor Government’s $32 million Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs), which help hundreds of thousands of young people who are at risk of dropping out of school and out of the economy.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Housing, Disability & Ageing, Martin Foley
“These Centres are vital for young people, with 48 per cent of all clients being helped into jobs aged under 25, reflecting the Andrews Labor Government’s commitment to create more jobs for young people.”
“The Work and Learning Centres complement the broader jobs agenda of the Victorian Government, which is focused on creating more jobs and assisting vulnerable Victoria to access additional employment opportunities.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Ballarat, Geoff Howard
“This centre offers programs that assist young people who are at risk with the support they need to get a job.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020