The challenge to upskill indigenous young people through effective transitional labour market programs

Year: 2013

Author: Hickey, Chris

Type of paper: Abstract refereed

Abstract:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth continue to be the most disadvantaged groups within Australia's education and health landscape. While the nature of their educational underachievement expresses itself early, by year 10 Indigenous young people are 50% more likely to have dropped out of school than their non-indigenous counterparts. Coupled with this statistic, less than 50% of Indigenous young people see University as a possibility following school, compared to over 70% of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents (Mission Australia, 2013). School leavers who have no qualifications have greatly reduced opportunities to securing ongoing full time employment, as such it is easy to see how educational disadvantage can become entrenched. Indeed, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the ‘entrenched disadvantage' encountered by Indigenous youth, including early school leaving, early parenthood, high rates of crime and drug use, contribute to conditions of social exclusion and labour market discrimination. The restaurant in Melbourne was originally set up as a social enterprise employment pathway program for Indigenous youth. Through its alignments with a number of key stakeholders, including a registered training organization (RTO) and employment services provider, the restaurant offers a number of training pathways that provide hospitality training (front and back of house) and work experience pathways for Indigenous young people. Within these programs, participants spend their time between the workplace environment and the education facility in the development of skills and knowledge that are ultimately transferable across the hospitality industry and beyond. The complexities of the hospitality training program that takes place in the restaurant are felt at many levels (management, operation and implementation). It is fair to say that the implementation of such a program can be both deeply challenging and intensely rewarding. Drawing on the data generated through the action research cycle at the centre of this project we have been exploring the personal and contextual influences associated with the educational and vocational development of participants. Of particular focus in this presentation are a number of key issues that extend across all levels of the program - including participant recruitment, induction, engagement, retention and transition. A discussion of these key areas demonstrates how educational pathways are created and the challenges that are encountered along the way by both participants and the organisations involved.

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