Partnerships - GMLLEN

Our Partners

The purpose of GMLLEN is to improve education, training and employment outcomes for all youth in the Goulburn Murray region.

GMLLEN have agreed to broker and sustain collaborative partnerships to develop programs and interventions that deliver place-based support and address gaps in the local community. GMLLEN is proud to collaborate with many supporting organisations to deliver on this purpose and is dedicated to making careers exploration relevant and empowering for our next generation. GMLLEN builds strong ties with funders, industry bodies and stakeholders to enable this to occur.

Through collaboration with key stakeholders including industry, community organisations, local government, TAFEs and RTOs, GMLLEN can create projects to meet the needs of schools and students, while meeting industry needs.

Our Partner

Goulburn Murray Regional Prosperity Plan

The Goulburn Murray Regional Prosperity Plan (GMRPP) aims to generate mutual prosperity in the Goulburn Murray region by restoring and sustaining a thriving and sustainable First Nations economy.

One way it commits to doing this is by empowering young First Nations people and unemployed or under-employed adults to choose their own pathways to meaningful education and employment outcomes. The plan outlines the fact that additional focus is required to make schools a place that First Nations youth want to go.

To that end, GMLLEN have partnered with Kaiela Institute and are Plan Champions of the GMRPP, committing to advocate for our next generation’s potential by building equity and channelling GMLLEN support to those who require it the most, in this case, providing First Nations youth with pathways support. GMLLEN communicates with existing industry partners, businesses and employers to determine their interest in cultural awareness training, and their willingness to provide a culturally safe workplace. GMLLEN ensures the employer considers offering places specifically for First Nations students. GMLLEN also works with Koorie Support Officers in schools to ensure that they know about the opportunities and programs that exist.

For context, more than twice the state average of First Nations people occupy the Goulburn Murray region. With 10% more non-indigenous people working than First Nations people in the community, and with Year 12 attainment 30% less for First Nation people than non-indigenous people, these challenges are relevant to the work experience programs and access to further education skills and development available via GMLLEN.

Read our Statement of Intent

Alignment with strategic plan:

Focus Area 1 – bridging the gap between schools and employers
- Engage with local employers to create pathways for young people beyond school
Focus Area 2 – collaborating for collective impact
- Lead, support and align community efforts to increase opportunities for young people
Focus Area 3 – Advocating for our next generation’s potential
- Build equity by channelling our support to those who require it the most

Our Partner

Shepparton Education Plan

The Shepparton Education Plan (SEP) is a long-term plan to transform education in Shepparton to help young people get the best possible start in life.

GMLLEN commits to providing opportunities for every young person to have the aspiration, networks, and support to explore post-school pathways to further education and/or employment. Like all LLEN’s, GMLLEN is dedicated to making careers exploration relevant and empowering for our next generation.

GMLLEN is committed to a successful roll out of the SEP and supports career discussions and introductions to the world of work, elevating student ambitions and enabling them to set, refine and pursue their career objectives confidently and to explore educational and training avenues. GMLLEN considers skills, experiences and networks critical to addressing the region’s youth unemployment and workforce shortages. The GMLLEN Executive Officer sits on the Advisory Board of the SEP and GMLLEN is represented on the Tertiary Education and Skills working group and Aspirations working group.

While the Greater Shepparton community is committed to and willing to support its young people, and many local organisations such as GMLLEN have been working steadfastly towards that goal, there are fewer school leavers entering further education. Just over half of all Shepparton school leavers go on to study at university or TAFE or start an apprenticeship, demonstrating a disconnect between local young people and successful pathways to careers and tertiary education, so GMLLEN works to address some of these challenges.

View the Shepparton Education Plan

Alignment with strategic plan:

Focus Area 1 – bridging the gap between schools and employers
- Create resources and host initiatives to introduce young people to the local world of work
Focus Area 2 – collaborating for collective impact
- Help young people to become work ready
Focus Area 3 – advocating for our next generation’s potential
- Build equity by channelling our support to those who require it the most

Our Partner

Education First Youth Foyers

The Foyer has a core focus on education and provides secure housing as a means of enabling young people to focus on their studies, with the program providing safe, secure accommodation while they study, as well as other support and skills to become independent adults. It's a place for young people to thrive.

The Shepparton Education First Youth Foyer is a partnership between Berry Street, Beyond Housing Network and GOTAFE, and makes an ongoing investment in the future of greater Shepparton by providing young people with the support, skills and tools necessary to become independent adults. It also provides opportunities to develop career aspirations, gain work experience, and build a pathway to sustainable employment. GMLLEN also provides access to work experience and assistance with development of career goals.

GMLLEN is represented on the Youth Foyer advisory committee, and by leveraging GMLLEN's network of industry partners and employment opportunities, the partnership offers young people a pathway to secure jobs, apprenticeships, and work experience, equipping them with the skills needed for long-term career success.

Homelessness rates in the GMLLEN region are growing at a rate of more than three times the expected level, with challenges such as housing shortages and flooding further straining housing availability, and young people also particularly vulnerable to factors like family breakdown and housing affordability.

At the heart, the Foyer model is based on the life-changing proposition that the most constructive thing that can be done for young people is to ensure they become educated, employable and empowered so they can build better lives for themselves and achieve genuine independence. GMLLEN is in support of this concept and backs the plan to build more Education First Foyers in the region.

Learn more about the Education First Youth Foyer

Alignment with strategic plan:

Focus Area 2 – collaborating for collective impact
- Lead support and align community efforts to increase opportunities for young people
Focus Area 3 – advocating for our next generation’s potential
- Inform policy and decision-making
- Build equity by channelling our support to those who need it most

Our Partner

Committee 4 Greater Shepparton

The Committee for Greater Shepparton (C4GS) unites the region’s business and community leaders to influence public policy, advocate on issues to strengthen the economy and make the region a more vibrant place to live.

Together, GMLLEN and C4GS aim to improve workforce readiness, reduce unemployment, and strengthen the region’s social and economic fabric. Their shared focus ensures that local initiatives are both community-driven and impactful, and GMLLEN has long worked with C4GS to provide support, guidance and data on these areas – while responding to the needs of C4GS members as required.

GMLLEN have worked with C4GS to support initiatives such as GROW Greater Shepparton, and adapted work experience programs, acting as a conduit between the schools and the business community around workplace readiness and industry education.

Shepparton faces a range of hurdles in attracting and retaining skilled workers, including a lack of awareness among young people about local job opportunities. Employers are regularly seeking younger employees to rejuvenate their teams especially as technological advancements demand adaptability and new skill sets. GMLLEN works with C4GS to encourage partnerships between schools and employers and to assist the C4GS members to attract young people into these important industries.

Learn more about C4GS

Alignment with strategic plan:

Focus Area 1 – bridging the gap between schools and employers
- Engage with local employers to create pathways for young people beyond school
Focus Area 2 – collaborating for collective impact
- Lead, support and align community efforts to increase opportunities for young people
Focus Area 3 – advocating for our next generation’s potential
- Inform policy and decision-making

Our Partner

Shepparton District Careers Assocation

The Shepparton District Careers Association (SDCA) is a network of career professionals who meet regularly to share pathway information and student support information, to support career development of young people in the Goulburn Murray region.

The SDCA plays a vital role in equipping both careers staff and secondary students with the tools and knowledge to explore career pathways. Members of the network share ideas and approaches regarding career guidance, while promoting workplace learning opportunities such as work experience, structured workplace learning, and school-based apprenticeships among the group.

GMLLEN aims to create a brighter future for young people through education and work opportunities by connecting schools, industry and community to improve career pathways – this collaborative effort brings over 60 key people in these fields together ensuring mentors and leaders in the careers space are well equipped to assist those who need support in this area.

Over the years GMLLEN has supported the SDCA by acting as the central host and coordinating agency, secretarial support and is currently an active member.

The cycle of hardship experienced in Shepparton is a complex and serious issue, with educational attainment in Shepparton lower than both the state and national average. Many young people leave school early, often due to financial pressure or a lack of understanding about long-term benefits of education. The knowledge of careers staff and the effectiveness and variety of approaches used in the local educational institutions is critical to make change in this space.

Alignment with strategic plan:

Focus Area 1 – bridging the gap between schools and employers
- Create resources and host initiatives to introduce young people to the local world of work
Focus Area 2 – collaborating for collective impact
- Lead, support and align community efforts to increase opportunities for young people
- Help young people to become work ready

Our Partner

Victorian Local Learning and Employment Network

Victorian Local Learning and Employment Network (VicLLEN) is the collaboration and collective voice of Victoria’s 31 LLENs, covering every corner of the state. Each LLEN is an incorporated association governed by a volunteer board and works both to guide and mentor young people and support industry representatives via practical means to promote jobs and career opportunities, and to improve the education, training and employment outcomes of all young people in Victoria.

LLENs work with the Department of Education and Training to build sustainable partnerships between schools, industries and communities, with their programs designed to keep students engaged in their education and provide pathways to employment in a way that is tailored and carefully curated.

GMLLEN is the lead on the statewide offering VIC VICE, which is run in partnership with VicLLENs who supported the initiative for the statewide roll out. LLENs who have opted in are led by the team at GMLLEN and have financially contributed to the project via purchase of their own Virtual Reality headsets and roll out of the program into their schools.

These networks and agencies are vital to the socio-economic health of our state. Regional and rural areas of Victoria have unique needs, typically facing higher youth unemployment than areas in and around Melbourne, so LLENs tailor the programs and initiatives they offer in whatever way their unique circumstances require. The 31 LLENs provide a variety of support models to ensure each geographic community is cared for and supported in the way that is most meaningful and necessary to them.