Young people on the Stepping Stones program.
Camera IconYoung people on the Stepping Stones program. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Program helps fill the gap

Emma Young, Comment NewsComment News

Stepping Stones is for 16 and 17-year-olds identified by police and government services not to be in school.

Many have police records.

‘We started this program to address a gap in the traditional education system,’ centre manager Debra Monteith said.

‘We found that kids weren’t quite ready for Tafe, but had also stopped attending school and didn’t know what to do next.’

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The 10-week program combines one-hour bursts of literacy and numeracy with cooking and gardening classes, excursions and tasks to get workplace-ready, such as writing resumes and cover letters.

Thirteen of the 15 teens who took part graduated, two returned to full-time school and one got a full-time job.

Graduates get a Certificate I in General Adult Education and can go on to complete a Certificate I in Retail or a Certificate I in Automotive at Kensington PCYC, or do the course again if they desire.