AN Industry Training Hub which works with year 11 and 12 students in regions with high youth unemployment will be established in Shepparton.
Shepparton’s MEGT (Australia) Ltd has been chosen to deliver the specialist Hub for Shepparton and surrounding areas, as part of a $50M national program targeting regions with high levels of youth unemployment.
The Hub gives local career facilitators an opportunity to work with Year 11 and 12 students, to build their skills to meet the demands of local employers. They’ll also bring together schools and businesses to help make vocational education and training a priority in terms of the participants’ future careers.
Federal Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum, said the Shepparton training hub would be managed by full-time career facilitator Kristen Elliott, who will introduce students to industry opportunities.
“Ms Elliott will engage with local employers who are experiencing difficulty finding people with the right skills they need for their business or organisation, and in turn, advise senior high school students of skill shortages,” Mr Drum said.
“This is all about building a strong workforce that meets industry needs of our region.”
MEGT chief executive officer, Bridie Gildea, said providing an ‘on-the-ground’ presence was crucial to ensuring the success of such programs, and that MEGT career facilitator Kristen Elliott was ideal for the role.
“Local career facilitators know better than anyone the employment challenges their own regions face”, she said.
Ms Gildea said it was particularly satisfying to see youth in Shepparton and surrounding areas benefit from the Industry Training Hub initiative.
“I grew up in Shepparton, so it’s wonderful to see the implementation of such a positive program which is designed to have long-lasting benefits for local youth and employers alike.”
