EFFORTS to build on community and parental engagement at Kurnai College via an innovative “hub” project were boosted by the announcement of AGL funding support last week.
AGL Loy Yang announced a three year, $75,000 partnership with The Smith Family Gippsland to support the Kurnai Education Hub at the college’s Morwell and Churchill campuses.
The Smith Family’s Victorian general manager Heather Le Roy welcomed the company’s support for the project which she said would “encompass a number of programs aimed at improving literacy and numeracy at the school, increasing the retention of students to year 12 or equivalent and building students’ confidence and awareness of future pathways”.
AGL’s Merchant Energy group general manager Anthony Fowler said the partnership extended AGL’s national corporate responsibility program, Energy for Life, through Loy Yang’s Community Support Program.
“In early 2012, AGL launched its revamped Energy for Life community program to focus on building partnerships with those organisations such as The Smith Family, who are dedicated to providing long-term support to families experiencing financial hardship,” Mr Fowler said.
“Prevention, education and resource and capacity building are pillars of AGL’s Energy for Life program, and the Kurnai Education Hub project clearly supports these aims.”
He said under The Smith Family partnership AGL Loy Yang would also host career days, work experience opportunities and associated site visits to provide students with access to AGL people and their experiences.
The partnership also included sponsorship funding for the tertiary education of two local students through The Smith Family.
Ms Le Roy said through a coordinated approach, the project would “help harness the significant goodwill and commitment of the Latrobe Valley towards its youth”.
