Celebrating Graduates of
Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s
Education, Employment and Training Program

Parkerville Children and Youth Care recognises that traditional schooling isn’t suitable for every young person. Their Education, Employment, and Training (EET) program addresses this by offering tailored support that provides essential skills, resources and guidance for success to young people who have not had positive education experiences and/or have disengaged from the school system entirely.

With a focus on personalised learning, career readiness and practical skills, the program helps each participant thrive on their unique path, offering a pathway to achievement that extends beyond conventional education methods.

Every February and July, students graduate from the EET program and advance to further studies or the workforce, gaining valuable skills along the way. Whether pursuing careers as hairdressers, motorcycle mechanics or music producers - fields some of the programs past students have entered - the opportunities are endless. Recent graduates from the February intake have all transitioned to apprenticeships or further studies, achieving a 100% success rate in advancing to new opportunities.

The program profoundly impacts its participants, with one student’s mother noting her daughter’s remarkable transformation from child to adult during the six months spent in the program. Recent graduate Grace shared, ‘EET is a great way for young people to get support they might not otherwise receive. I’ve improved my mental health and learned to help myself. I’m proud to have passed my CGEA (Certificate II of General Education for Adults) first and start each day with a job. EET showed me I can get help and that I’m not alone. It's amazing, and many young people need this.’

The EET program offers regular one-on-one sessions with youth workers to help young people manage mental health challenges, cope with grief and loss and build resilience. The classroom experience is personalised, with groups of three students learning together, which allows for greater classroom support and focus on individual’s needs. As Grace noted, this model enables students to ‘get a lot more work done’ compared to traditional high school settings.

With 30 years of operation, the EET program has demonstrated its effectiveness in helping young people become positive community contributors. The program instils the belief that they can achieve their goals, a sentiment echoed by Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s CEO, Kim Brooklyn, who sees the program as providing ‘an opportunity to see that they can be whoever they want to be.’

The program’s unique blend of education and practical work includes workshops in woodwork, painting, gardening, landscaping and tool use, with real tasks applying these skills. This hands-on experience, combined with classroom learning, supports diverse learning styles and fosters growth. Youth workers also teach essential life skills, enhancing employment opportunities and treating participants as equals with significant responsibilities, crucial to their success.

Supported by sponsorships and work experience placements from local businesses, the program benefits from community investment in Western Australia’s young people. This support enables Parkerville to provide the guidance and tools necessary to shape their future into whatever they want it to be.

Published in Messenger August 2024