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A hand up, not a hand out – the way forward for disadvantaged Australians
11 July 2008 Despite record prosperity, too many Australians are falling between the cracks, according to The Smith Family's Rob Simons. However, rather than more welfare payments, the way forward is through support that encourages people to stay engaged with education and move more smoothly from school to work or further study. Dr Simons told a vocational education research conference in Launceston today (11 July) that Australia's most fundamental challenge was to lift the economic and social participation of those Australians who are currently missing out. "Reducing the current pool of people who don't participate in the labour force is an immediate priority," Dr Simons said. "This is vital for social reasons but it also makes good economic sense. Funding spent on prevention has a much better outcome than funding spent on people already caught in unemployment and poverty cycles. "This is not about 'hand outs', it's about giving people a 'hand up'." Dr Simons said this philosophy had driven The Smith Family's thinking since the late 1990s when the charitable organisation moved from a welfare model to a focus on children and education. "Our Learning for Life program provides educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth and their families at key points through their life. These include scholarships to help kids stay at school, combined with support such as tutoring and mentoring, and personal development to ensure sociale-motional qualities are also developed. "It's been a successful road to a better life for many young Australians. "But to make it happen more widely, our education and training systems have to catch up. And this will involve serious change so they can raise student achievement levels and reduce achievement gaps." Dr Simons said part of the answer lay in closer partnerships between business, schools, universities and governments to provide a high-quality education that enabled every student to be work ready, at a level appropriate to their capacity. "These partnerships are the key to greater local responsiveness, alternative sources of funding, and better use of human and physical resources." 'No Frills' 2008 - The 17th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference is being held at the University of Tasmania, Newnham Campus, Launceston, from 9-11 July 2008. Further information: |
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