The Shepparton Education Plan, stage four – Tertiary Education and Skills, will work to improve access to tertiary education and apprenticeships, and build better work and study pathways with local business and industry to make sure that every young person can achieve their goals and go on to a meaningful career after leaving school.
The plan is backed by more than $140 million to prioritise quality education resources and facilities for the region’s young people — from early childhood to adulthood including the new Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
“With a brand new secondary college now open, better early learning facilities and improvements to primary education already delivered for Greater Shepparton, this final stage of the plan will make sure that after their schooling journey ends, young people in the region can build fantastic careers and lives,” Education Minister James Merlino said.
Currently, only half of Greater Shepparton students transition to tertiary education after leaving school.
Employers are also telling the government they need young people who are ‘work-ready’ when they finish school — with the necessary skills to adapt to new and emerging demand in growth industries across the region.
Mr Merlino said Greater Shepparton experienced high youth unemployment, yet had a high need for skilled workers — the plan aims to correct these contrasts and deliver industry the skilled workers it needs by empowering young people to move on to further study, apprenticeships or directly into the workforce after school.
Consultation with the Greater Shepparton community on stage four of the plan began in in 2018 with a locally based working party of business, industry and education experts, including leaders from GOTAFE and La Trobe University’s Shepparton campus. The plan’s key outcomes include:
- Providing opportunities for every young person to have the aspiration, networks, and support to explore post-school pathways to further education and/or employment;
- Ensuring all students, their families and carers are included in career development activities;
- Ensuring young people from all backgrounds can access sports, volunteering, and other extra-curricular activities to strengthen their community connection and engagement;
- Ensuring all young people understand the local industry and jobs market;
- Delivering a joined-up tertiary education and training sector that supports all students with a ‘no wrong door’ policy, allowing students to be flexible in their career choices; and
- Ensuring tertiary providers deliver the courses required by local community and industry, at entry level certificate courses through to degree and post-graduate levels.
The Shepparton Education Plan is a long-term plan to transform education in Greater Shepparton. The first stage focuses on secondary education, with the creation of the new Greater Shepparton Secondary College, the second stage has delivered better early learning service to kickstart children’s education from birth to primary school, and the third stage focuses on delivering a primary education that meet the needs of every student.
“Not only does this plan deliver better pathways for every young person in Shepparton, no matter their goals, it will deliver a strong pipeline of skilled workers to the Goulburn Valley’s economy for many years to come,” Training and Skills and Higher Education Minister Gayle Tierney said.
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