St Joseph's College careers and work related skills educators Ben Hearn, Beth Crossman, Julie Ritchie and Scott McKenzie.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Local organisations and businesses gathered at St Joseph’s College, Echuca last week to attend the College Pathways and Business Connections Breakfast.
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Held on Thursday, February 26 at the school’s Brigidine Campus, the event focused on building stronger links with industries to help students transition into the workforce.
Over the years, the college has collaborated with a range of businesses and organisations to broaden students’ exposure to future careers.
Work related skills educator Ben Hearn said these partnerships gave students “passion, purpose and direction” and helped them realise their “dream job”.
A panel discussion, facilitated by fellow educator Scott McKenzie, brought together voices from businesses and local government.
Panellists included NBD Building Group managing director Nick Burls, Murray River Council economic development lead Izzy Rees, Campaspe Shire Council economic development manager Astrid O’Farrell, Campaspe Shire Council apprentice Morgan Alberni and Campaspe Shire Council team leader Dan Moylan.
Former St Joseph’s student Ms Alberni shared her journey on the day — from studying woodwork, engineering and mechanics to securing an apprenticeship with Campaspe Shire Council under Mr Moylan’s guidance.
Mr Moylan encouraged businesses to consider employing students, as it helped young people make informed decisions about their future.
“You get a lot of kids that aren’t sure what they’re doing, but they’re able to go out and test the waters and actually see what they want to do in life,” he said.
“If you’ve got the opportunity, just do it ... there (are) good kids out there that want to have a crack, so give them the opportunity.”
A panel discussion was held with speakers Nick Burls, Izzy Rees, Astrid O’Farrell, Morgan Alberni and Dan Moylan facilitated by Scott McKenzie.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Mr Burls echoed Mr Moylan’s sentiment, emphasising the importance of introducing students to the workforce early, especially in the construction industry.
Having employed apprentices in both Melbourne and Echuca, he said regional students often benefited from greater hands-on experience than their metropolitan counterparts.
Ms Rees and Ms O’Farrell outlined how their respective councils worked closely with local industry to understand workforce gaps and emerging opportunities.
Both also shared the opportunities available within council and different programs and initiatives they ran for businesses and students.
Ms Rees said Murray River Council aimed to connect with businesses “to really understand their workforce needs, gaps and challenges” before liaising with schools to ensure they were “connecting those pathways into employment”.
Ms O’Farrell added that with emerging industries continuing to grow across Echuca-Moama, Campaspe Shire Council was focused on ensuring local students were prepared to step into the region’s “jobs of the future”.
The event underscored the importance of strong partnerships between schools, businesses and local government to create achievable career pathways for local students.
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