Apprenticeships, Employment & Training Provider | VERTO
VERTO is an award winning, not-for-profit organisation assisting businesses and individuals with all their apprenticeship, employment and training needs. Our expertise covers a range of areas including Aboriginal services, Australian apprenticeships services, disability services, employment services and vocational training to help businesses, individuals and local industry to thrive. Our mission is to positively impact the lives of individuals and communities and we’ve built a track record of exemplary customer service over 35 years, built around an ethical approach.You'll find the team in over 40 locations across New South Wales.
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Five main pathways in the transition from school to work
15 July 2019
A new analysis reveals five main pathways taken by young Australians as they transition from school to further study and work, according to a report released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
The report School-to-work pathways also identifies factors that influence the chance of young people aged 16 to 25 in taking a particular pathway, offering potential policy cues.
“This study shows us that pathways young people choose to take post-school are growing increasingly diverse, individualised and complex,” said Simon Walker, Managing Director, NCVER.
“This highlights how important it is that we gain a better understanding of the youth transition process.”
The report uses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth to provide a dynamic view of young people’s transition experiences over a 10-year period, from 2006 to 2016.
It reveals five main transition pathways out of school:
- Higher education and work
- Early entry to full-time work
- Mix of higher education and VET
- Mixed and repeatedly disengaged
- Mostly working part-time.
“Factors shown to influence which pathways the students followed included studying VET subjects at school, individual school achievement and socioeconomic issues,” Mr Walker said.
“VET was involved in several pathways and emerges as an important avenue in the school-to-work transitions that culminate in work at age 25 years.”
In Pathway 2, VET provided an ‘express pathway’ to employment via a short spell of post-school education or training that led to full-time work approximately one year after leaving school.
Almost half had undertaken apprenticeships or traineeships, with the highest occupation group being 'technical and trades'. This pathway resulted in 97.4% being in work at age 25 — the highest proportion of any of the pathways.
Pathway 2 was characterised by more males, while females who undertook VET had more often followed Pathways 3 and 5 and were also mostly in work at age 25 (91.7% and 90.2% respectively).
The report School-to-work pathways and a data visualisation demonstrating the paths young people take are now available on NCVER's Portal: https://www.ncver.edu.au/publications
As published by NCVER, July 15 2019
VERTO Chief Executive Officer appointed to ITECA Board
July 10, 2019
VERTO has announced that its chief executive, Ron Maxwell, has been appointed to the Board of Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA). Mr. Maxwell will focus on ITECA’s New South Wales (NSW) operations as part of this appointment.
ITECA, formerly the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET), is a membership-based peak body bringing together independent providers in the higher education, and vocational education and training sectors. Members of ITECA share a commitment to providing students and their employers with quality outcomes through education and training. The body also focuses on representing its member’s interests in legislative and education reform.
Mr. Maxwell said he was honoured to be joining the Board of ITECA.
“It’s exciting to be a part of ITECA, especially at a time when the business is moving through a period of change.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the ITECA team into the future,” he said.
For further information about ITECA please visit https://www.iteca.edu.au.
Why money isn’t necessarily the only solution to the regional education challenge
By Ron Maxwell - CEO
I've always been a big believer in education as a catalyst for change; the right opportunities can help individuals and economies to thrive. But in many of Australia's regional areas, where skill shortages, unemployment, population decline, and mental health issues are on the rise, access to education has long been a challenge.
This past month has seen the announcement of an inquiry into regional education in Victoria, and a Regional Youth Taskforce in New South Wales, which got me thinking. There is a huge disparity in access to education between our regional and metropolitan areas and it has been an issue for as long as I can remember. Over that time, there have been a number of government initiatives designed to address the issue, but we haven't found the right solution yet.
Education is vital but there are barriers
Access to education and training is vital for the health of individuals, communities, and even the broader economy. We regularly see the impacts of long-term unemployment on individuals and communities, from immediate mental health issues to creating a long-term cycle of unemployment that can negatively impact on future generations. One of our clients, Kerri, comes to mind, who knew she had to find employment not only for herself, but to break the cycle and set a good example for her teenage son.
Improving access to education can also resolve skill shortages, which can present a much greater challenge in our regional areas. I recently discussed aged care skills shortages, and these are certainly exacerbated in many of our regions, such as Conargo Local Council, who are facing the prospect of a staggering 400:1 patient-to-carer ratio in the near future.
In our regions, there are many barriers to education that don't exist or are far less prevalent in our cities. Some of these include a higher proportion of disadvantaged students, intergenerational unemployment and of course, distance and reduced access to courses. Even the courses that are available tend to be poorly funded and don’t adequately acknowledge many of the barriers to entry in the community.
Understanding communities is critical
As a regional Australian myself, I think unsuccessful initiatives are defined by two things; an uncoordinated approach between different levels of government and a lack of understanding about life in our regions. While there is no denying that it costs more to deliver education in our regions and current funding doesn't cover that shortfall, simply throwing money at the issue isn’t the answer.
Decisions that affect education in our regions are often made by policy makers in our cities, who typically have little or no knowledge of life in the communities they are impacting. Without a first-hand understanding of the challenges, it's always going to be difficult to find an effective solution.
The reality is this; life in our regions is substantially different to life in our cities and I see this first-hand, leading an organisation that operates in metropolitan, regional and remote locations. It also differs region-by-region; just like living in Sydney or Perth offers different lifestyles, benefits and challenges, so too does living in Bathurst or Townsville.
The differences can be driven by the mix of local industry and farming, socio-economic and cultural factors, and distance to a major centre, to name just a few. So, when we lump these communities together and try to solve the challenge state-wide or even nationally, we see a disconnect. An initiative that does address a challenge in one region may not even break the surface for another.
It didn’t surprise me that at a recent summit, local community leaders and citizens called for four major things; investing in 'soft infrastructure' such as education, closer collaboration with government, policy that reflects the identity of their region, and a change in the way we talk about our regional areas that recognises the diversity and value of these communities.
Locals need a voice
While money and policy always has a role to play, building an understanding of our regions is critical to ensuring they are employed in the right way.
Community consultation, not just with activist groups, who often stem from the city – coming in with good intentions but little actual knowledge of life in the community - but with the individuals who make it what it is. The school and vocational educators, local leadership and the families facing the challenge must have a voice in decisions. After all, they live with the issues today and will live with the outcomes of policy decisions tomorrow. We've seen before that money invested in our regions can be a short-term solution that can make the underlying challenges worse when the band aid is ripped off.
Our regions are a significant contributor to our economy, producing much of the food we eat and the products we export, so it should be important to all of us to get the solution right and invest in these communities.
It is my hope that programs and inquiries like those announced this week, will take a different approach, to truly understand the communities they are serving. In this way, we could break down some of the barriers, and ensure regional Australia gets the right investment in education, that will reduce unemployment and develop a strong economy.
Bradley's Journey to Work Through Indigenous Placement Program
The team at VERTO is constantly inspired by the ability of our Indigenous job seekers to overcome adversity, turn their lives around and find employment. Bradley Flick, 42, is one such person.
When Bradley came to VERTO in early 2018 he had been out of the workforce for almost seven years. Bradley had spent this time caring for his ill mother, and was keen to get back into work. As an Indigenous client, an opportunity arose for Bradley to apply for an employment program, Resourcing the Future, run by Diversity Dimensions in Partnership with Woolworths. This program involves matching potential employers and job seekers, allowing the two to work together for a period of time, with the aim of securing ongoing employment if there is a match.
Woolworths has partnered with Diversity Dimensions to deliver a tailored approach to engage and employ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders into their business and create meaningful and sustainable employment for the community.
In Bradley’s case, he undertook theoretical and practical training while completing work experience with Woolworths. Woolworths has been a huge supporter of the Diversity Dimensions program.
At the end of the program, Bradley was offered a part time paid position. He has now been a team member for five months and is loving his new role. “The program was great, and I now love going to work,” Bradley said.
Store Manager for Woolworths Bathurst City store, Michael Toholke said, “Bradley has shown great personal growth in his time employed with Woolworths. Brad came on board and was apprehensive about his ability to perform the tasks required, and how he would integrate himself into the team.
“Brad has cemented his position within the business during his time with us becoming a reliable, punctual and contributing member of our team. His desire to be successful in his role by seeking feedback and utilising the knowledge of those around him has helped us guide Brad to become the valued team member he is. Brad has taken the challenges of our business in his stride and continues to grow both personally and professionally,” Michael said.
VERTO’s Team Leader, Stacey Callan, said VERTO was proud to see Indigenous men in the local Bathurst community do themselves and their families proud.
“Bradley’s resilience, ability to get back into the workforce and to become financially independent is a credit to his strength of character,” Miss Callan said.
“I’m so proud to have been a part of his journey and to see him grow to be a role model for young Indigenous men in the local area.”
Woolworths also employed two other fantastic team members from the community with Bradley in the program. Store Manager for Woolworths Bathurst City store, Michael Toholke says both Halley Maree Kane and Stormy Rae Whalan are also excellent team members and are doing extremely well alongside Bradley.
For more information about the Australian Government’s jobactive program, or how the VERTO team can help you, call 1300 4 VERTO, visit verto.org.au or find us on Facebook.
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