Passions and Pathways

Passions and Pathways Project

The Passions and Pathways Career Education Grade Six Pilot Project is a unique partnership between the Goldfields Local Learning and Employment Network (GLLEN), Lightning Reef and Eaglehawk Primary Schools, the Economic Development Unit from the City of Greater Bendigo, the Bendigo Manufacturing Group, and a number of manufacturing industries and other business sectors.

Aim of the Project

The Project supports young people from low socio economic areas to connect the dots between school and real life; to open students’ eyes to the endless job and career possibilities that exist. Background to the Project 2010 It began with a simple comment at a breakfast meeting that the Goldfields LLEN hosted for educators and business & industry leaders. The meeting focussed on improving partnerships between schools and the employment world to link authentic work place experiences for students through a web data base: the Goldfields Horizons Project (www.careerhorizons.com.au). The GLLEN Executive Officer had invited the Primary School Principal from Lightning Reef Primary School to join in the discussions. She spoke about how community issues, such as generational poverty and unemployment can impact on schools and on students aspirations and the desire to learn. She indicated that her school’s School Family Occupation Index (SFO) meant that over 90% of her families received Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) support. A local CEO from a Bendigo Manufacturing Business, Keech Australia, was ‘gobsmacked’ that local students were impacted on by generational poverty. He likened their environment to ‘third world’ conditions. ‘ I couldn’t believe that here in Bendigo we had students who held such little hope for the future and I knew that it was our responsibility as a community to do something about that’

More Information: Passions and Pathways Information