Page MP Janelle Saffin today welcomed the Rudd Government’s announcement that plans to deliver better career and tertiary education services to our youth are now ready to be rolled out on the North Coast region. Ms Saffin said the Commonwealth’s Youth Attainment and Transitions funding will provide kids in our local area with the guidance they need to determine their future careers.

“It will fund programs that improve career development and mentoring and create a greater variety of vocational pathways for secondary students.

“We want to see 90 per cent of our  young people completing year 12 or equivalent by 2015 and these reforms agreed to at a Council of Australian Governments meeting last year aim to do just that.

“The funding includes two programs – the $286 million to the Youth Connections program to help young people most at risk, those that have already dropped out from school or are a risk of doing so.

 “Youth Connections provides funds to local outreach programs including Nortec Employment and Training Inc in our region, to ensure that young people get the support they need.

“These important new programs will go a long way to making sure our local jobs are filled by our children in the years to come.

“The $183 million School Businesses Community Partnership aims to improve links between businesses and schools that will encourage kids to stay in school to year 12 and into further education.  This aims to create better connections between education and training providers, businesses and industry, parents and families and community groups.

“Northern Rivers VET in Schools Consortium has been selected to help the local region achieve this connection,” Ms Saffin said.

The National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions is a joint initiative of the Australian and State and Territory Governments.

More information is available at http://www.deewr.gov.au/Youth/YouthAttainmentandTransitions/Pages/Home.aspx