Three months of intense work has transformed the lives of nine young people who had dropped out of school. They have just graduated with a Certificate II in Adult Education for Youth, a certificate which gives them the equivalent qualification to completing Year 12 at high school.

The program was initiated by Spiritus Jobcare at Labrador and Manager Julie Byrne has watched each student since day one.

“I am so proud of them and what they’ve achieved. They’ve all come from troubled backgrounds and haven’t been able to stay at school for a whole variety of reasons,” she said.

The students attended classes three days a week acquiring high level proficiency in English and Maths as well as a variety of useful living skills such as budgeting and work protocols.

“It’s not like a regular classroom. We involve our students in practical tests which help them problem solve as well as helping them prepare for the world of work. This is really important as some of our students have come from families who are third generation unemployed. This area is also the second highest unemployment area in the south-east corner,” Julie Byrne said.

An external tutor runs the course and a literacy and numeracy tutor also assists if required. All classes are held at the Spiritus Jobcare Labrador premises. At the end of the program, students are prepared adequately for admission to TAFE or trade study.

“The students who have graduated are completely different from the ones who started three months ago. They are really motivated and mature and there’s been a complete change in their way of thinking and this has an impact on the whole family. One student commented to me that he was the first person in his family to have acquired a qualification and they regarded him as a bit of a hero – that’s wonderful stuff!”

At a celebratory barbecue with some parents and families, graduates were presented with their certificates, portfolios with up-to-date resumes and photos of them during their journey.

“One student gave a speech and all the girls were crying, saying they were sad that their study had ended and they didn’t want to leave – but that they were proud of themselves. I am too and want to adopt half or them!”

Jobcare assists the students after their graduation. “So far we have found positions for two of them and are looking for companies who wanting apprentices – I’d love to hear from anyone who can help in this area!”

Graduates left to right: Zane, Georgie, Ethan, Maddy, Jeremy, Tess, Cameron, Kerri-Anne, Braedon and their tutor Sonia

Debbie Price

Marketing & Communications Co-ordinator,

Anglican Diocese of Brisbane