Toni Jenkins.
IMPROVING links between local employers and schools can help students find meaningful jobs in the region.
That’s the view of Toni Jenkins, from the South West Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN).
The organisation will mark its 10th anniversary with a conference on how schools can do more to meet the needs of local businesses.
The Youth Commitment ‘Better Connections’ conference later this month will include a panel discussion on the importance of building better connections and collaboration between agencies to support young people.
Ms Jenkins said there would be a focus on connecting education to local businesses’ needs and on what schools could do to help better prepare a workforce for the future.
Former Australian deputy prime minister Tim Fischer will make the keynote speech to the conference that will be held in Warrnambool on August 30-31. During the conference, South West LLEN will also launch a booklet, Education and the Workforce, that highlights local success stories and shows how people in the south-west workforce have used education and training to achieve their goals.
It includes stories of local people who have successfully navigated different pathways into jobs.
The booklet is the culmination of two years of profiles compiled with support from Deakin University and South West TAFE.
The conference is a partnership with South West TAFE and the Glenelg Southern Grampians LLEN.
Ms Jenkins said the LLEN organisation had made a significant impact on the lives and educational aspirations of young people in the region.
“LLENs bring together partners and facilitate programs that aim to improve access to education and training options for young people and to show them the different pathways that are available,” Ms Jenkins said.
ehimmelreich@standard.fairfax.com.au
