A youth hub has opened in Wyndham, giving young people access to employment coaches to help them get their foot in the job market.
The hub is part of Youth Projects’ Youth4Jobs program, which was expanded to the western suburbs last year.
According to Youth Projects, the rate of young people not currently studying or working in the west reached 14.2 per cent , during the pandemic, compared with 11.2 per cent statewide.
“Young people in the west of Melbourne need us most right now, and we aren’t going to sit around waiting for them to find us. We’re taking our highly successful model from the north-west of Melbourne to the west. We’ll meet young people where they’re at and provide the opportunities they desperately need right now,” Youth Projects chief executive Ben Vasiliou said.
The program has already helped 343 young people in Wyndham to access to experienced mentors who focus on preparing, placing, and sustaining them into employment.
“As an outreach service, the program is able to pick up young people and take them to job interviews, spend quality one-on-one time with them, and support them with any additional needs they may have related to securing employment or housing. We take a holistic approach to addressing the barriers faced by young people, including mental health support, food relief, housing support, community engagement, and even funding for driving lessons,” Mr Vasiliou said.
