MACARTHUR YOUTH COMMITMENT
reports and resources

• M E D I A   R E L E A S E

Thursday 25th October 2001

Macarthur Youth Commitment Student Passport Launch

Macarthur Youth Commitment will launch on Thursday 25^th October a pilot project as the first stage of a support network to help young people make the transition from school to positive destinations of employment or further training. Student Passports have been developed that will help provide resources for Year 10 students leaving school. The passports include action plans, jobseeker’s resource with local agency contact details, guidelines and samples for résumés and job application letters, and interview tips. Principal Kevin Garrick says ‘These have been developed in consultation with school, business, and industry and community groups as a resource to be made available for year 10 leavers this term across all school systems in the Macarthur’.

Thanks to support from the local high schools, and Campbelltown Council for printing them, these are being made available as a pilot that it is planned will be refined and improved for wider use next year.

Young people leaving school before completing Year 12 or achieving an equivalent level of education and/or training elsewhere face long term disadvantages such as unemployment, lower incomes and other risks to their well being. ‘A whole of community partnership is required to address these issues’ says Mr Garrick, ‘and that is what the Macarthur Youth Commitment is doing’.

The Macarthur Youth Commitment is the local strategy being developed from the model developed by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum to help strengthen school to work transitions and increase retention rates. It is a preventative, collaborative strategy that has been progressing through this year. The strategy requires the establishment of community partnerships that bring together key stakeholders. Where such partnerships already exist, as in Macarthur, it seeks to build on these and draw networks together around common key goals and core elements.

The Macarthur Youth Commitment has attracted the participation of a wide range of agencies including the three local councils, MACROC (Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils), businesses, welfare and health agencies, Departments of Health, Housing, Community Services and Police, Centrelink, Premiers Dept, education (schools [Govt. & Non Govt.], TAFE and university,) service clubs and other community organisations and networks. Senior management officers have indicated support for the concept of the Macarthur Youth Commitment and the active participation of their employees to develop it.

Macarthur Youth Commitment is working towards implementing several projects to support & complement existing initiatives to help young people in our region. These student passports are the first of a number of exciting strategies to be initiated by Macarthur Youth Commitment.

Contact: Peter Raymond (Ph: 02 4620 1709) for more information.

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MACARTHUR YOUTH COMMITMENT
reports and resources

• N E W S L E T T E R  N O .  1

October 2001

The Macarthur Youth Commitment (MYC) has been developing all year and communicating with all the stakeholders and interested people is becoming more complex.

This newsletter is an attempt to bring everyone up to date with current progress.

Background Rationale

Australian school retention rates have fallen in the last decade. Increasing numbers of teenagers are neither in full time work nor full time education. Young people leaving school before completing Year 12 or achieving an equivalent level of education and/or training elsewhere face long term disadvantages such as unemployment, lower incomes and other risks to their well being. Macarthur retention rates are below NSW averages.

A whole of community partnership is required to address these issues.

What is MYC?

MYC is the local strategy being developed from the model developed by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum to address these issues. It is a preventative, collaborative strategy that has been progressing through this year.

The strategy requires the establishment of a community partnership that brings together key stakeholders. Where such partnerships already exist, as in Macarthur, it seeks to build on these and draw networks together around common key goals and core elements.

Current groups involved include High schools — government and non government, MACROC, 3 councils, TAFE, UWS, Premiers Dept., Departments of Health, Housing, Community Services, Police, Centrelink, business and industry, welfare agencies, clubs, employment agencies, Jobs Pathway Program and others.

The initial action was the development of an Environmental Scan or map of young people’s circumstances and youth related services in the region. This was completed in July by UWS and will soon be accessible from www.macforum.com.au.

The next phase was the development of a Management Committee and working groups based on the needs revealed in the scan and the core elements of the Youth Commitment strategy. This followed a community forum in August explaining MYC to a wider network of interested people.

Clearly identified benchmarks and periodic evaluation are essential for all strategies developed.

Core elements include:

Current Status

A coordinator is in place, funded by ECEF until the end of 2001. Peter Raymond is interim P/T coordinator while Jenny Woolfe is on holidays.

The Management Committee is a small strategic planning group that will enable input from various sectors as well as the working groups. It will oversee the applications for funding that result from working group strategies.

Four working groups are in operation and it is at this level that the wider community and agency participation is sought. The groups are:

Anyone interested in being part of one of these working groups please let us know.

A strategic plan is under development and a Memorandum of Understanding is ready for signing by a group of the key stakeholders.

Future Directions

The strategic plan being developed will look beyond 2001 and seek support for the ongoing needs of the MYC as indicated in the plan. Many strategies currently under development have already identified resource needs and some funding applications are in process. The number of participants is continuing to grow as groups see the advantages of a cooperative, interagency partnership.

Term 4 Initiatives

The Community Links working group has worked hard to develop a ‘Student Passport’ document that will be used as a pilot in term 4 with students in year 10 not planning to return to school. This Passport contains a range of helpful resources including action plans, jobseeker contact numbers, sample resume and job application guidelines and interview tips. This is currently being printed for distribution to interested schools early in term 4 — thanks to Campbelltown Council and school support. This pilot will be refined and adapted for future use.

A model for Transition Brokers — youth workers who will help early school leavers make the transition from school to positive outcomes — is being developed and it is hoped will be piloted in a few schools next year.

The Plan-it Youth strategy for coordinating mentors to help support early school leavers is being developed with DET support and will be implemented in the region. A management committee for Plan-it Youth is being established to help gain support and implement the strategy.

Funding Issues

ECEF have funded the coordinator position and longer-term options are being investigated.

CDSE funding (clubs funding) that was applied for unfortunately was not approved.

DETYA has tenders open for projects helping school to work transitions and built on community partnerships, and we will be putting in major applications with these by the end of October. Other complementary funding options are also needed and support from local businesses and agencies greatly helps. Anyone with ideas please let us know.

Management Committee members

Co-coordinator - Jenny Woolfe
Premiers Dept - Tony Wiseheart
MACROC - Denise McGrath
Education - Greg Prior
Young person - Greg Allott
Centrelink - Darryl New

Working Groups:

Data - Margaret Vickers
Community - Kevin Garrick
Employer - John Wisby
Youth Participation - Megan Brooks/Julie Muir

Management Committee next meet Oct 17 & Nov 19, 2001.

Contact Details

Macarthur Youth Commitment Coordinator
Jenny Woolfe
(Peter Raymond interim until mid Nov)
C/- Training Co-ordination Unit
PO Box 599 Campbelltown NSW 2560
Room K. 1.26 Campbelltown TAFE
Ph: 4620 1709 Fax: 4620 1865
Email: lmp.campbelltown@tafensw.edu.au

• N E W S L E T T E R   N O .  2

March 2002

DOWNLOAD:  WORD format (112 K);   PDF format (252 K)

This newsletter is an attempt to bring everyone up to date with the current activities of MYC.

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WHAT IS MACARTHUR YOUTH COMMITMENT (MYC)?
MYC is a network of many organisations in this region that is developing a safety net and trying to support young people as they leave school and move on to work or other training. It is especially seeking to help those young people ‘at risk’ of leaving school before finishing year 12 or an equivalent level vocational course.

It is a preventative, collaborative strategy that has been progressing since 2001, based on prior networks (Full Service Schools Program etc). MYC is the local strategy being developed from the model developed by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum to address school to work issues (www.dsf.org.au/nyc). There is some Macarthur information you can check out on this site at www.dsf.org.au/nyc/regional_macarthur.html

CURRENT STATUS
Peter Raymond has been working full time as interim coordinator since January 2002 as Jenny Woolfe has moved back to her role at Leumeah High School. A big thank you to Jenny for all her significant foundational work last year with MYC (and FSSP prior to that.)

The Management Committee meets monthly to oversee MYC strategy, funding and activities. Working groups are in operation and it is at this level that wider community and agency participation is sought.

The groups are:

1. Exit Procedures group — Developing the student passports and exit procedures for schools;
2. Transition brokers group — Working to implement this strategy to support early leavers post school;
3. Mentoring group — Developing adult mentor support for ‘at risk’ students;
4. Employer Links, addressing issues related to availability of work placements, linking young people to jobs;
5. Youth Participation, encouraging youth participation and gauging youth opinion on implementation of strategies;
6. Data Management, mapping the data needs of the MYC and evaluating success of strategies;
7. Marketing, Community education, marketing, information sharing. (This group has not met yet).

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by a group of the key stakeholders including MACROC, Centrelink, TAFE, Dept of Education & Training, Premier’s Dept, Dept of Housing, GROW Macarthur, Macarthur Community Forum, Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the Enterprise and Career Education Foundation.

The strategic plan being developed will look from 2002 - 2005 and seek support for the ongoing needs of the MYC as indicated in the plan. A two page ‘Statement of Strategic Intent’ gives overall aims and measures, and these are expanded in the strategic working plans that give strategies, measures, timeframes etc. Anyone wanting a copy can contact Peter on 4620 1709 or lmp.campbelltown@tafensw.edu.au. We want input and comment to refine these working documents.

UPDATE ON ACTIVITES
The Exit procedures working group has developed a ‘Student Passport’ document that was used as a pilot in term 4 2001 with students in year 10 not planning to return to school. About 500 were distributed. This Passport contains a range of helpful resources including action plans, jobseeker contact numbers, sample resume and job application guidelines and interview tips. Feedback surveys are being distributed in Term 1 2002; this pilot passport will be refined and adapted for future use. Anyone who has seen this passport is invited to let us know what you think of it.

This Exit procedures group has also refined a student exit document that it is hoped will be used across all schools. Ideally an exiting student will complete it, getting appropriate staff sign off before they leave the school. It gives helpful information on intended destinations, and will provide some standardised regional data. Contact Peter Raymond to see a copy of this.

A model for Transition Brokers — youth workers who will help early school leavers make the transition from school to positive outcomes — is being developed and it is hoped will be piloted in a few schools in 2002 if funding is gained. Initial hopes for pilot funding have been dashed by negative responses from funding bodies. This group has been discussing how these Transition Brokers will complement what Careers Advisers do to value add to their important role.

Mentoring strategies for coordinating mentors to help support ‘at risk’ students are developing. The DET Plan-it Youth coordinator’s position was advertised in Feb; TAFE Outreach are providing mentoring training for community members and a pilot will be implemented in 3 Campbelltown District schools in 2002 (Picton HS, Elizabeth Macarthur HS, Leumeah HS). This project will get a great boost when the coordinator starts. Job Mates mentoring of indigenous students and the Wollondilly Youth Mentoring project are collaboratively being developed with Plan-it Youth. Each have slightly different youth targets, but they are complementary projects, so we are working together where possible. Representatives of each project are on a common steering committee.

A survey of 4800 Macarthur businesses has been completed by UWS Students with Premiers Dept. funding to determine youth employment trends and attitudes. 180 fax back responses were received giving information on the businesses, their growth plans, the attitudes and skills desired in youth, youth employment, traineeships and work experience placements. This report was received in early March and will help guide the Employer Links group’s strategy.

Positive messages that come out of this are that a majority of responding companies are forecasting future expansion over the next 2 years, and many of these already employ young people. Over a third of respondents offer traineeships or apprentices, and a quarter host year 11 & 12 VET student work placements. Attitude and initiative are the qualities most looked for in young workers by employers, and communication and teamwork skills are highly regarded. Macarthur businesses are growing and they want young people with the right attitude to support their growth.

Further follow up research has been discussed to get a wider and more representative sample of employers and their perspectives on youth employment issues.

The Youth Participation group has been developing aspects of the MYC strategic plan and working plans that deal with youth participation, consultation and empowering young people. They are seeking to get young people to comment on the Student Passports, and to get some feedback on School to work issues from the perspective of young people who have recently made the transition.

Clearly identified statistical benchmarks and periodic evaluation are essential for all strategies developed. The data management group has met to discuss the scope of data collection that is needed. It is starting to develop the required strategies to effectively evaluate MYC strategies, and put in place processes to measure the indicators. This group contains representatives from the Catholic Education Office, Dept. of Education & Training, UWS Office of Regional Development and UWS Education Faculty; and wants other contributors.

With such a large community partnership the sharing of relevant information to everyone is an important strategy. Young people, teachers, employers, parents and stakeholders need to be informed about what is happening, and how they can contribute, get help or support as appropriate. Anyone with marketing, media or other relevant expertise is invited to contact Peter Raymond to be part of a Marketing working group to help promote, educate and market Macarthur Youth Commitment and it’s projects to the region.

FUNDING ISSUES
Immediate and sustainable funding is a major issue.

The coordinator position is continuing thanks to funding from ECEF until other full time funding is confirmed. We did not get the DETYA funding applied for (ICYS & CATS), other sources via GROW and Sustaining Regions have been applied for. Strategies will not be given substance until funding is found, so that is a major focus of management committee’s concerns.

WHY DO IT? BACKGROUND RATIONALE
Australian school retention rates have fallen in the last decade. Increasing numbers of teenagers are neither in full time work nor full time education. Young people leaving school before completing Year 12 or achieving an equivalent level of education and/or training elsewhere face long term disadvantages such as unemployment, lower incomes and other risks to their well being. Macarthur retention rates are 4-6% below NSW averages.

A whole of community partnership is required to address these issues, which is what MYC is seeking to do.

- - - - -

Management Committee members

MACROC - Denise McGrath (Chair)

MYC Coordinator - Peter Raymond

Premiers Dept. - Maria Visotina

Education (DET) - Greg Prior

Young person - Greg Allott

Centrelink - Darryl New

Macarthur Community Forum - Cheryl Eather

TAFE (SWS Institute) - Cathie Gerloff

Community Links - Kevin Garrick

Youth Participation - Mark Berriman/Tina Britton

Dusseldorp Skills Forum - Lesley Tobin

Management Committee meets 1^st Thursday of each month in 2002.

Contact Details

Macarthur Youth Commitment Coordinator

Peter Raymond

C/- Training Co-ordination Unit Campbelltown TAFE

PO Box 599 Campbelltown NSW 2560

Room K. 1.26 Campbelltown TAFE

Ph: 4620 1709 Fax: 4620 1865

Email: lmp.campbelltown@tafensw.edu.au

Web: www.dsf.org.au/nyc/regional_macarthur.html

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• N E W S L E T T E R   N O .  3
September 2002

DOWNLOAD:  WORD format (112 K)

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MACARTHUR YOUTH COMMITMENT
funding

With a large grant from the Commonwealth Government in 2003, the funding situation of MYC is presently quite healthy. We have included the following flashback to 2002 when the funding situation was potentially dire to give encouragement to those who may find themselves in a similar funding situation with their Youth Commitment project.

 [as at MAY 2002]

FUNDING NEEDS

• Immediate and sustainable funding is a major issue. The coordinator position was funded from ECEF until the end of April 2002. Requests have been sent to stakeholders to contribute to a pool of funds to progress the strategies and continue the coordinator role. These have ensured continuity in the short term.

• We did not get the DETYA funding (ICYS & CATS), MACAAS or CDSE funding applied for in 2001.

• Submissions from other sources via GROW and Sustaining Regions will be made.

• Further discussions with ECEF are taking place and we are investigating other options (eg CDSE, DET) and other federal funding (DEST, FaCS).

• Strategies will not be given substance until funding is secured, so that is a major focus of the management committee’s concerns.

In the past all funding has come from ECEF http://www.ecef.com.au

Campbelltown TAFE provide office facilities.

MACROC (Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils) is very supportive.

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MACARTHUR YOUTH COMMITMENT
reports and resources

• N E W S P A P E R   A R T I C L E  [DEC 2001]

Headline:
Student Passports

MACARTHUR youth commitment has launched its student passport program at Campbelltown TAFE.

The student passport is a pilot project, which is part of a support network to help young people make the transition from school to employment and further training.

The passports will help provide resources for Year 10 students leaving school and will include action plans, agency contacts, guidelines, samples of resumes and job application letters, and interview tips.

Passports will be made available to students this term.

Picton High School Principal Kevin Garrick was present at the launch.

"These [passports] have been developed in consultation with the schools, businesses, industry and community groups as a resource to be available to Year 10 leavers this year across all school systems in the Macarthur region," Mr Garrick said. The Macarthur Youth Commitment has attracted the involvement of major groups including the three local government councils, Macarthur Regional Organisations of Council, businesses welfare and local agencies, police, the NSW Premiers Department, education groups, service clubs, and other community groups. Details: Macarthur Youth Commitment office on 02 4620 7109.

STUDENT ISSUES … Picton High School Principal Kevin Garrick at the student passport launch.

MACARTHUR YOUTH COMMITMENT
reports and resources

• N E W S P A P E R   A R T I C L E   [DEC 2001]

Headline:
Project to aid jobless youth: School leavers' assistance

The recently developed Macarthur Youth Commitment Project aims to fight youth unemployment in the Macarthur region.

It aims to track and monitor all school leavers and, where necessary, provide individual counselling aimed at getting them into work.

Camden Council last week backed the project and called for a report on its first employment strategy for Macarthur.

Macarthur Youth Commitment was jointly developed by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the Enterprise and Career Education Foundation.

Camden Council's report said young people not completing school should have the opportunity to obtain equivalent TAFE training or an apprenticeship.

The report noted that Macarthur's school-leaving rate was higher than Sydney's average, as was its youth unemployment rate.

About 25 per cent of Macarthur's 18-19-year-olds were not in full-time work or education.

"At February, 2001, the unemployment rate for 15-24-year-olds in Macarthur was 19.4 per cent, 5.6 per cent higher than the Sydney metropolitan area average," the council's report said.

Councillor Fred Anderson said: "This is a project that needs to be supported and followed up.

"The high rate of youth unemployment is distressing and we should be doing all we can to reduce it."

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