By KATRINA BRANDON
GIVING youth a leg to stand on, Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing visited the Ladder Step Up office in Morwell last month to announce a further $750,000 investment in the Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley Program.
About 30 people joined Ms Shing for the celebration, which helps Gippsland youth overcome barriers to employment and education.
The Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley Program helps people aged 16 to 25 build confidence and independence through education, employment and training opportunities.
It also enables young people who are facing barriers to connect with the community and develop independent living skills.
At least 120 young people in the Latrobe Valley will be supported through to 2028 thanks to the latest investment. Since 2017, a total of 404 young people have graduated from the program, gaining the skills, confidence and connections needed to help them move into education, training and employment.
“It’s been a joy over the years to celebrate the hundreds of young people from across the Valley who have graduated from the Ladder program with new skills, confidence and opportunities,” Ms Shing said.
“Ladder is one of the best examples of partnerships in action, and it’s one of the most successful programs that’s really been at the heart of intergenerational change and opportunity, the potential for young people across the Latrobe Valley to make decisions that are right for them to get skills, confidence and support to reach their best.”
Graduates have gone on to jobs in retail, hospitality, the community sector, a nursery, private business and the Royal Australian Navy, with many young people securing employment opportunities within Gippsland.
The six-week course involves group and individual development sessions, community projects including volunteer activities with Morwell Neighbourhood House and other work experiences.
An additional 12 months of one-on-one coaching is provided to ensure young people are guided beyond the program.
“This investment provides Ladder with the opportunity to continue supporting young people across Gippsland to build their skills, confidence and connections, and to work towards education, employment and greater independence,” Ladder Foundation Chief Executive Chris Wilborn said.
“This funding is helping us ensure young people in Gippsland have the opportunity to build a positive future and, importantly, to remain connected to and contribute to their local communities.”
Youth-sector groups, Victoria Police, Gippsland Trades and Labour Council, community groups and other agencies are all involved with the Ladder program.
Support for the program extends to organisations such as the AFL Players’ Association, the Australian Football League (AFL), the Hecht Trust, the Collier Charitable Fund and the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria (MCV) Fund.
“It has been such a joy to advocate for funding and support for Ladder and the Step Up Program over the years, and just talking to people who completed their program six years ago shows that this translates into confidence and life skills for work and for education and training purposes,” Ms Shing said.
“Ladder has been one of the greatest joys of my time in Parliament. Seeing the difference you have made, and continue to make, has made it an easy decision for me to advocate for funding again and again, and I can’t wait to see it continue.
“I can’t wait to see it continue alongside the partnerships that make the Latrobe Valley such a wonderful place, and I can’t wait to continue to see that we never turn away from the hard conversations.”
