Annual Report 2022
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Chair's Report
Piper Rodd – Chair Future Connect
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Chair Report
Future Connect AGM 2023
As Chair of the Board of Future Connect, I am once again very happy to report to you on the Board’s activities for 2022. As I usually write, it has been a delight to support Deirdre and her growing team as they navigate their way so successfully through all their activity in community across the year. And, as always, key to their success is their capacity to work with, within and for the communities they are part of.
With emerging research indicating that young people are at the forefront of the cost-of-living challenges being faced by so many. Education and housing costs are rising at unprecedented levels, 80% of young people no longer believe they will be able to ever buy a home. Being well supported in community with reliable, evidence-based advice and support on how to best navigate the post-school uncertainty is more important than ever before. Future Connect continues to work with its local community to learn from young people themselves about how to improve their opportunities for bright futures. Examples of this codesign approach includes the West As and Realise Your Potential projects and the development of the Marcella’s Interview video.
Changes in the Victorian upper-secondary school curriculum will require interpretation and assistance from those who understand the choices available to young people today and into their futures. Locally based and focused community organisations like Future Connect are more and more important in providing services and filling gaps for those who make up our society. Building social capital for young people means meeting them where they are at in life, understanding what’s important to them and helping them to navigate challenges as they face them. This strength has been evidenced this past year in the All Girls Can event, work with the Careers Practitioners Network, African Homework Club, Work Readiness Program and Structured Workplace Learning.
The Board has worked cohesively to provide advice and practical support to Future Connect. Last year we welcomed Catherine Armstrong onto the Board, who has made a wonderful contribution, sharing with us her informed insights into school and career networks in community. We are, however, sad to say goodbye to Gail Bray who has served on the Board for three years. Her expertise and knowledge of the secondary and VET sectors and the local community has been highly valued, her perspective and professional advice always welcome and useful. We wish Gail all the best for her future endeavours.
We are also sad that Quinn Li has made the decision to leave the Board. They have developed such fantastic skills and we look forward to continuing to work with them on design work. Quinn’s involvement on the board has been appreciated and their insights from a young person’s viewpoint proved extremely valuable. Quinn is also making their transition to full-time work and we look forward to seeing their progress and the success we know is coming!
Reflecting on all of this excellent work, it is with great pleasure that I commend to you the annual report for 2022.
Dr. Piper Rodd, Chair Future Connect Board
Chief Executive Officer's Report
DEIRDRE HARDY – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FUTURE CONNECT
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In 2022, we continued to strengthen our connections to the communities of Brimbank and Melton. One of the highlights for me was the Marcella's Interview video project. This saw students from Jackson School, Keilor Downs SC, Lakeview SC and Melton Special School work together to conceptualise, script, act, direct, shoot and edit a film. You can see the ‘Making of’ here. We held a premiere and the students walked a red carpet. As you do!
We continue to support students and employers to secure work placements. Megan Cooke has been tireless in her efforts to contact employers and students and work through their many concerns. COVID continues to have a ripple effect on the confidence and work readiness of our students. Megan has been able to find projects and initiatives that provide the right sorts of opportunities for students. An example of this is the video project. The collaborators on this project, Reece Gains and Dan Schulthies, along with Megan, worked very closely to support and mentor the students in the Marcella’s Interview project.
In March, Alice Ames presented her work on Realise Your Potential at the School to Work Summit. This is a co-design project that is developing career resources specifically for neurodiverse young people. She was able to highlight her incredible work in ensuring inclusion and celebrating differences in her workshops.
WestAS workshops continue to showcase Alice’s professionalism and drive and the need for young people to have support in their pathways in the west. There are three concepts the workshop participants identified and we have been able to work towards two of them in 2022.
By working with young people and employers we have been able to develop and test a couple of prototypes. We thank Brimbank Council for their support in trialling a recruitment tool and providing feedback. Mariah Magri continues to be an avid supporter of Future Connect and we appreciate her championing the work of West As in her role with council and as a member of the Advisory Group.
We were lucky to welcome Ava Ter as the West As Project Officer. She has fitted in well and has already proven herself to be vital to the team. Ava organised West As workshops in December that gave us opportunities to confirm the direction we are taking with the West As streams.
We are thrilled to have so many people committed to working with us to support the young people of Brimbank and Melton. Collaboration is at the core of the work we do. It is always gratifying to see the popularity of the meetings we convene. These networks are thriving and their impact is broad. Cathy Armstrong, Careers, Pathways and VET co-ordinator at St Albans SC continues to Chair the Career Practitioners’ Network. Its members appreciate her expertise and the opportunity to work together and share experiences with colleagues from all sectors as well as the special guests they request.
Michelle Marion, the Koorie Education Support Officer, Brimbank Melton DET very ably chairs the Koorie Career Support Network. We invite representatives from all schools who share their concerns and successes in supporting Koorie students. The meetings are a great opportunity to communicate pathways options for Indigenous students - invited guests talk about Indigenous-specific university supports and relevant employment programs.
Our SBAT Advisory Group continues to impress me with their commitment and drive to support the uptake of SBATs. The group is generous in sharing resources and has helped us to improve the SBAT Toolkit.
Lea Lucas is always a reliable and steadying influence in the office. Her ability to co-ordinate big events such as the Brimbank Career Exploration Day (which exhibitors continue to tell me is their favourite!) whilst keeping other things ticking over is invaluable.
We were sad to see Lyndsay Mandaru leave us and make the big move to Queensland. Her enthusiasm, drive and humour are missed in the office but we know her future will be wonderful.
The Future Connect Board is a pleasure to work with. They are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and committed to the work of Future Connect. I continue to be grateful for their expertise and support.
Brimbank Careers Exploration DAy
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Now in its 10th year, Future Connect once again hosted the Brimbank Careers Exploration Day which was held on 11 May 2022 at the beautiful Lakeside Banquet & Convention Centre in Taylors Lakes.
Over 1,100 Brimbank Secondary School students from ten schools visited the event and were able to ask questions and discuss their career pathway journeys with representatives from sixty organisations ranging from tertiary and job providers, registered training organisations, group training organisations, employers and other sectors.
Students were bussed in from their various schools, given a show bag to collect brochures (showbags were generously provided by Victoria and Federation Universities) and were given time to visit the exhibitors in both the Ballroom and the Victoria Room. It’s a great event and a great opportunity, but don’t just take it from us! When we asked students what was the highlight of the 2022 Careers Exploration Day they responded with “Getting information face-to-face and beyond web searches” and “Finding out that there are more options than I originally thought”.
Our sincere thanks are extended to our event partners listed below.
Aspire Partners: AGA, Brimbank City Council, Federation University, Victoria University/Victoria University Polytechnic
Believe Partners: Brick and Block Careers, G Force Employment & Recruitment, JMC Academy, JobFind Centres Australia, Swinburne Institute of Technology and VACC.
African Homework Club
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What a night! We had the best time delivering a Work Readiness Workshop to the students from the African Homework Club. We were also joined by Najib Warsame from Brimbank City Council who shared what he does in his role as a Jobs Advocate and how he got there! It was great to work with a group of young people ranging from Years 5 to 12. We facilitated activities and worked through the importance of understanding yourself, your strengths and skills, what you are passionate about, and using that to help guide you in further study and employment pathways.
All Girls Can
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All Girls Can - Make a Great Tradie!
Future Connect teamed up with Tradeswomen Australia (TWA) to deliver our annual International Women's Day Event, All Girls Can - Make a Great Tradie. This year the event was held at Springside West Secondary College in Fraser Rise. It was amazing to see so many young girls voluntarily come along to hear about what it's like to work in the world of trades. TWA are doing some great work for women in trade: they are training, placing, and supporting women in trade positions. The event started with a presentation from TWA sharing with everyone why a career in trades is a great option for any women interested in the industry. We then heard from Mel, a qualified welder, who spoke of her pathway and how working in trade is great for her. What a fantastic ambassador for women in trades! It was wonderful to work with an organisation like TWA to break barriers, build confidence and increase career options. tradeswomenaus.com
Careers Practitioners' Network (CPN)
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The Brimbank/Melton Careers Practitioners’ Network met several times in 2022. All meetings were well attended, we welcomed new members to the network and meetings were very productive.
The first meeting of the year, chaired by Cathy Armstrong, Careers Practitioner from St Albans Secondary College, included a facilitated co-design session. As a group they worked through the strengths of the network, what people wanted from the network, as well as its purpose to ensure there was minimal to no overlap with other networks.
As a result of the feedback provided by the network regarding the Direct Application Process at Victoria University (VU), Future Connect, with the CPN, submitted a letter to the Vice Chancellor, Adam Shoemaker. The letter was well received and quickly moved to a meeting with the key stakeholders at VU. A quick response was received from VU and an on-line meeting was arranged.
As a result of this meeting along with planned changes, VU added most Certificate IV and Diploma courses to the VTAC application system for Year 12s to access. Whilst there have been several teething issues with the new process, it has been a welcome change for school-based Careers Practitioners, who have been speaking individually with VU about this for a number of years. Our collective voice was instrumental in facilitating this change.
A further meeting during the year involved inviting tertiary providers to provide presentations and updates to the Careers Practitioners and at the following meeting alternative education providers were invited to present on their programs and initiatives.
The Careers Practitioners’ Network continues to provide school staff and education providers with great support and an opportunity to network with others.
Industry Exploration Tours
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Future Connect Industry Exploration Tours
Jackson School Industry Tours
We worked closely with the amazing Vu Nguyen at Jackson School to support their careers program as we're passionate about reducing the barriers to employment and further training for neurodiverse students and students with disabilities.
Brimbank Airport Jobs Expo – May
With travel now back on the cards, Melbourne Airport needs more staff and are working with the surrounding community to fill a number of jobs. The majority of people working at the airport live nearby which includes the Brimbank area. Brimbank City Council and Melbourne Airport worked together to host a jobs expo in May at the Visy Cares Hub.
We connected the Jackson School to the expo so the students could learn about the different jobs available. The students left the expo knowing the range of job opportunities and pathways available to them at the airport.
Sunshine Leisure Centre Visit – June
Students had the opportunity to explore the different jobs available in a leisure centre.
The Sunshine Leisure centre is run by the Brimbank City Council and is often recruiting young people into entry level positions. We have developed a fruitful working relationship with the community engagement team at the leisure centre, who are committed to inclusive employment in the local community.
The visit to the Sunshine Leisure Centre involved a tour of the facilities, a safety demonstration, discussion of jobs and pathways, and water activities.
The centre staff took the time with the students to explain the different jobs available at the centre. Staff explained what a typical shift would look like for each job and showed the students the uniforms and equipment. Staff also talked through any qualifications needed, and how the centre offers support to gain the qualifications. The staff also stepped through the application process so the students could become familiar with how to apply for a job there.
The students also had the opportunity to provide advice about sensory feedback during their visit. This was used by centre to help develop ways to provide more inclusive spaces and programs.
The teachers commented that the day at the Sunshine Leisure Centre was “the best excursion ever”, noting how valuable it was for the students to be able to see firsthand the different jobs and careers available at the centre, as well as having the opportunity to see and use the facilities.
Calm School Industry Tour of We Love Aintree – July
We worked with Jono Ingram from We Love Aintree to facilitate an industry visit for the students from the CALM School to visit his social enterprise café and garden in Aintree.
The CALM school is an alternative education provider for young people needing extra support to remain engaged with education.
We Love Aintree is a place-based, sustainable social enterprise that aims to foster community connection in the newly developed suburb of Aintree. The social enterprise includes a café in the Aintree Display Village and a gardening business servicing the area. Jono is an inclusive employer, with a background in primary education and working with people experiencing mental illness.
Jono generously welcomed the CALM school students at the café, taking them on a tour of the kitchen garden and speaking about what they do to run a sustainable business that fosters community connection. The next stop of the tour was at Timbertop neighbourhood house where Jono is setting up a coffee cart and is the site of a new community garden. We then went to a local riverbed which is the site of a revegetation project run by We Love Aintree where students could see the positive effects such projects have on the environment.
It was an amazing experience for the students to see the inside of a local social enterprise and the range of work opportunities that have been created. A huge thank-you to Jono for his time and care with hosting the students.
MCG Tour - August
When you think of working at the MCG you may not realise all the hundreds of jobs behinds the scenes that make the magic happen.
For a sports loving young person training in kitchen ops, there are a number of opportunities to work at the MCG. This is what the students discovered on the hosted tour, with a specially trained, knowledgeable tour guide.
Students learnt that work could also be fun, that there were a number of entry level positions as well as career pathways in hospitality available to work at the MCG. This tour was the highlight of the term for many students.
Realise Your Potential
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Realise Your Potential – workshop for neurodiverse young people
The Realise Your Potential project continued in 2022 to support neurodiverse young people through career development.
The project kicked off in 2021 with a co-design workshop where we discussed what's working, what's not, and what would help neurodiverse young people navigating employment. We brainstormed ideas for activities that Future Connect could run in 2022 for neurodiverse young people.
The co-design group decided that they would like us to create a series of videos on job seeking.
In March 2022 we held our second co-design workshop to work together on making the videos. We decided on what content to include, the look and feel of the videos and how to promote the videos to reach the audience. From this workshop we are developing the script and storyboard for making the first of the Realise Your Potential Videos.
The work behind the scenes continued in 2022 with seeking funding to produce the videos. We were successful in gaining a competitive Community Grant from Brimbank City Council for 2023. This grant will contribute to making the first of three videos for the project.
With the successful funding in place we were able to engage a visual artist, Ahalya Sattiraju, to animate the videos which will be delivered in 2023.
The Realise Your Potential project was featured at the School to Work Summit in March 2022 at the Exhibition Centre. This opportunity allowed us to present to a broad audience of teachers, Local Learning and Employment Networks, industry and employers. Alice shared her expertise in human centred design and tips on how to work inclusively with neurodiverse young people.
We would like to thank the young people in the co-design group for their continued contribution to the project. With great thanks we acknowledge the funding support from Brimbank City Council.
The photo above shows Dr Alice Ames, Future Connect's Project Design (HCD) & Implementation Officer, presenting on the Realise Your Potential project at the 31 March School To Work Summit held in Melbourne. Follow the link to view the Presentation Video vimeo.com
SBAT Breakfast 2022
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SBAT Breakfast 2022
The 2022 Future Connect SBAT Breakfast held on Thursday 8th of September was our first in-person SBAT Breakfast in 3 years. It was so great to see everyone, this feeling was shared with all who attended.
The structure of the event took on a mix of our pre-covid in person events and the online delivery. It was an early start for everyone with the breakfast starting at 7:30am, but this did not hamper the excitement of those attending. Everyone was happy to be at the event and learn more about the world of SBATs.
The event started with an update from Daryl Sutton from the VCAA. Always popular with audience members, but this year even more so! With all the changes associated with the launch of the new VCE and VCE – VM (Vocational Major) certificate, the information delivered in Daryl’s presentation was paramount.
One attendee, when asked what they enjoyed most about the SBAT Breakfast said:
“Meeting in person, the providers, but also Daryl’s calm reasoning and logic around the new certificate in line with SBAT Contribution”
Following the presentation from Daryl we heard from Stef, a young woman completing her SBAT in Automotive. It was great to hear from someone with lived experience. Stef spoke highly of the amazing support she receives from VACC as well as that of her employer and colleagues. It was evident during the Q&A session just how powerful an SBAT can be for someone who is clear on their career pathway. Stef also spoke about how schools can better support young women pursuing a non-traditional career pathway. Stef is a great ambassador for SBATs and women in trades.
Breakfast gave everyone the opportunity to mingle and network, with many people meeting for the first time in person. Following breakfast, we heard from Daniel Grech from MAS National. Daniel gave everyone an update on the changes to employer incentives and how they may impact an employer's decisions to take on an SBAT student.
The final session of the SBAT Breakfast was a speed updating session. School representatives rotated through each of the SBAT providers, including HeadStart, to hear all about what is on offer for 2023 and how students can take up the opportunities.
Concluding the event, the general feeling was that this was the best SBAT Breakfast event to date. This is supported by the feedback received from schools and providers, such as:
“Thank you for your continued work, and support, which provides us (careers practitioners) with the opportunities to expand our knowledge and network with our peers.”
“This was my first ever interaction with Future Connect and I thought everything was run well.”
“Well organised, great to hear from Daryl”
“Thank you for organising these events. Appreciate what you do”
“Haven’t placed any students yet but am hoping to. Well done, thank you :-)”
We look forward to hearing all about the SBATs created as a result of the 2022 Future Connect SBAT Breakfast. Thank you to the work of the Future Connect SBAT Advisory Group for helping to shape and guide the structure and outcomes of the event.
West As
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West As Project Update
The West As co-design project has continued building and developing the three project streams in 2022 with the view to establishing a social enterprise to bridge the disconnect between young people and employers in the West
- Future Recruit - ways to help young people receive meaningful feedback on job applications with the development of a checklist
- Westside Coffee - a social enterprise that builds skills and networks for young people
- Let's connect - an informal and purposeful mentoring program that connects young people to the community to learn from others’ career experience
In 2021, we developed a prototype of the Future Recruit checklist. The checklist is for employers to use during the recruitment process to facilitate giving meaningful feedback to applicants. In 2022, the checklist was piloted with the team at Sunshine Leisure Centre recruiting for the new Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre.
The feedback from the pilot was positive. The recruitment team could easily embed the checklist into their recruitment process. The checklist helped staff remain focussed on the quality of applications by providing a framework for articulating and tracking quality criteria when having many applications to assess.
At the end of 2022 we had two co-design workshops with young people to test the checklist to understand whether the feedback from the checklist would be helpful, and useable for young people to improve their job applications. The checklist was helpful for young people as a learning tool to understand what employers look for in quality applications.
At the 2022 workshops we also worked on next steps of designing the Westside coffee cart to create a program young people feel comfortable taking part in. With needing to make decisions about whether Westside Coffee is a mobile coffee van, or a pop-up in specific locations, we wanted to understand about young people’s work preferences. Young people wanted 'A good environment', A safe workplace, both physically and psychologically. Young people want a workplace where they feel safe and welcome and receive the right training. Training includes learning how to deal with customers, building social skills to talk with customers and deal with difficult customers. Having a clean, safe and hygienic workplace was also important. These insights will be used to develop the program design for Westside Coffee including the training and induction.
Let’s Connect was paused in 2022 as we progressed Westside coffee and Future Recruit. In 2023 we will test Let’s Connect in the community to understand whether the need still exists, or if the community needs have changed as the recovery and needs arising from the pandemic continues to evolve.
Staff and Advisory Group changes
Welcome to Ava Ter joining Future Connect as the West As Project Officer! Ava brings with her a rich experience of working in community development and the hospitality sector. Ava hit the ground running contributing to the West As project.
West As has had established governance in place since 2021 with the Advisory Group which meets quarterly. Thank you to all the members who take the time to help us guide the project and connect us to the young people, industry, and employers in the community. We welcomed Katherine Nikolic (Electorate Officer), from the Office of the Hon Natalie Hutchins MP joining the other advisory group members:
- Catherine Armstrong, Career Practitioner and Chair, Brimbank/Melton Careers Practitioners’ network
- Mariah Magri, Team leader, Young Communities, Brimbank City Council
- Reana Cazar, Senior Research Officer, Brotherhood of St Laurence (Future Connect Board Member)
- Meyvan Hettige, Senior Economic Development Officer, Brimbank City Council
- Frank Newah-Jarfoi, Acting Team Leader Engagement and Activation Young Communities, Melton City Council
Funding and Grants
We continued to identify and apply for relevant grants to fund the West As project. The applications have been incredibly competitive, and we are continuing to seek funding.
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Koorie Network
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Koorie Career Support Network
Future Connect partnered with Michelle Marion, the Koorie Education Support Officer (Department of Education and Training) in Melbourne’s west to bring together a school representative from each school in Brimbank and Melton. This network is focused on information sharing; bringing people together to hear the latest information on how to best support Indigenous students on their pathways to employment and education. Michelle Marion very expertly chairs the network and Future Connect provides administrative support to facilitate the meetings.
In 2022, the Koorie Career Support Network met four times. The first meeting in March brought everyone together to understand the needs of the network. The network met throughout terms 2 and 3 with meetings focussed on information sharing across schools.
The May meeting focussed on SBAT opportunities; in June mentoring programs and traineeships were explored; and in July we heard about university programs and pathways to support Koorie students.
The meetings also included time for school staff to share with each other about the programs within their schools, to discuss challenges, provide support and reflect on what has been working well. All schools across Brimbank and Melton are invited to the network with a core representation from Brookside P-9 College, Taylors Lakes Secondary College, Melton Specialist School, Victoria University Secondary College, Creekside K-9 College, and Staughton College.
The network meetings have been attended by representatives from The University of Melbourne, Monash University, Victoria University, RMIT, Department of Education and Training, CSIRO, Victoria Police, Western Health and Melbourne Storm to share the latest information about pathways programs for Koorie students.
The meeting also provides an opportunity for informal sharing between schools, to build connections and solidarity. They exchange information about embedding best practice in inclusion and prioritising cultural considerations in career and pathway planning.
The staff attending have given feedback that it’s valuable to hear from each other about what is working in their school, what’s not and share current challenges and opportunities and support each other.
We would like to thank Michelle Marion for initiating the network and her continued work supporting Koorie students on their career pathways.
Marcella's Interview
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Marcella’s Video
On 3 November 2022 Future Connect hosted a Hollywood-style premiere for our students who completed the SWL Video Project in term 3. We screened their film “Marcella’s Interview” along with a very funny Bloopers reel and very impactful documentary or “making of”.
The night also included a panel where our stars of the film as well as Vu Nguyen from Jackson School and Dan Schulthies who was a facilitator in the project, were able to provide further insight into the impact this project has had and the processes behind the film.
Reece Gaines, Department of Education and Training, shared statistics about disability in the workforce in a fun Kahoot session to further highlight the need for these types of informative resources.
A definite highlight of the night was hearing from each student on how their confidence has grown and from their families about how this confidence has followed through to their home and school lives as well as increasing their work related skills.
Altogether, the night was an absolute blast and it was evident that all involved were very proud of what had been achieved in these short films.
We were privileged to have in attendance both the Honourable Minister Hutchins and Minister Suleyman and we thank all that were able to be there.
Main video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FdJCYNf004
The Making of Marcella’s Interview: https://youtu.be/JmJSA2CQ53E
Blooper reel: https://youtu.be/sSz0Po3ffSc
Work Readiness
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Work Readiness
We continued to support students prepare for the workforce and were glad to be back face-to-face with students in 2022! After the challenges of 2020 and 2021 there was a need to work with students to rebuild self-confidence and ease social anxiety.
We redesigned our school workshops to give students the opportunity to identify their strengths, skills and interests. By understanding their strengths, skills and interests, students could build their resume and practise their interview skills.
Some highlights from our work readiness programs:
- Brookside College - special sessions were held with year 9's to introduce them to the world of work
- Staughton College year 12 Retreat – supporting job searching and applications
- Jackson School work readiness program - in 2022 we ran extra sessions to help students discover their strengths and skills and build their resumes
- Jackson School Practice Interview Day - real world practice for job interviews in a friendly environment
- Keilor Downs Practice Interviews – practice for job interviews to support senior students entering the workforce
- Hester Hornbrook Academy – support for navigating pathways
- Student-led work readiness program – Lakeview Senior Secondary College
During 2022 we had the wonderful student Adel Besem join us for work placement at Future Connect. One of Adel’s jobs was to lead a project and put on a work readiness event at her school.
- Adel did some research with her peers and classmates to identify some of the key issues for young people entering the workforce
- From this research we supported Adel to create a survey for all the year 11’s at Lakeview to understand the top priorities and what students wanted to know about employment
- Adel then organised four guest speakers to speak on the topics of resumes, work rights and navigating social challenges at work.
Congratulations to Adel for organising such a successful event!
Thank-you to the guest speakers for their time and sharing their knowledge with the students.
Structured Workplace Learning
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Structured Workplace Learning
2022 was vastly different to the past few Covid years and we were able to place an amazing 147 students into either a Structured Work Placement or School based Apprenticeship.
The year was not without some challenges for both our students and employers. With employers facing staff shortages and unable to provide the supervision students require, the start of the year was focussed on connecting with new employers and strategising new ways to provide opportunities. We created a number of new partnerships with local organisations and worked together to ensure that students were still able to take part in safe opportunities.
More than ever, students went out to placements with either another student from their school or in a small group. This proved to benefit both the organisations and our students that were anxious in entering the workplace.
As the year went on, organisations were able to welcome more students and we worked closely with our schools to educate them on using the portal and streamline the set up of placements.
In term 3, we partnered with Reece Gains and Cinespace to run our first SWL video project. Marcella’s interview brought together students from Keilor Downs College, Lakeview Senior College, Jackson School and Melton Specialist school to work collaboratively on creating an educational resource to share with local employers. Students were given full control over the topic. They reviewed employment issues and different genres and chose to make a short film about inclusive practices and more specifically, employing someone with a neurodiversity. As well as determining the topic, students worked with Cinespace to direct, film and star in the film themselves. The outcome of the project had so many benefits that we are still seeing new ones now. Along with the main film, students created a documentary about the impact participating in the project had on them and a very funny bloopers reel. The documentary portrayed the skills each student had developed over the term and were more than we could have hoped for.
From the start of term 2, we also hosted our own SWL student from Lakeview Senior College, Adel Besem. As part of her placement, Adel was able to work with us to develop and deliver her very own work readiness event to run for their year level at their school. Adel first developed an outline of the event to present to her Principal. Once approved, she also developed a survey to present to her peers to determine the topics that would be most useful. We were then able to approach several guest speakers to present on the chosen topics. The event was run during Step Up Week as students entered year 12 and proved to be not only a fantastic opportunity for Adel, but an extremely valuable event for her peers. Adel went on to win the Principal’s award at the annual VET awards.
We are looking forward to carrying the success from 2022 into 2023.
Future Connect Financials 2022
