Skilling the Bay collaborates with industry to understand the changing employment landscape in the Geelong region to ensure that we are delivering to the community's needs. The team contributes to numerous regional roundtable discussions regarding education and employment. It presents to various stakeholders current labour market data, challenges, and opportunities to improve skills and job outcomes.
Skilling the Bay recognise the significant skills shortages in many sectors and partner with industry to develop programs that will make a difference for the region. The relationship with the Geelong Manufacturing Council ensures the needs of local manufacturers and, in particular, high-tech industries are understood and incorporated in the future planning of programs. Skilling the Bay is well connected to the Health and Community Services Sector. It has delivered a program to increase understanding of the sector since 2014, through the partnership with the Geelong Region Learning and Employment Network.
Government
Skilling the Bay works with its primary funding partner, the Victorian Department of Education, to deliver its innovative Education and Pathways Programs. Representatives from the Department form part of our Advisory Board to ensure that Skilling the Bay supports the Government in career pathways education. Skilling the Bay is aligned with State Government objectives and is committed to delivering quality education in Victoria. Its work aligns with the key learnings and recommendations from the Firth Review into Vocational and Applied Learning Pathways in Senior Secondary Schooling.
Community
Skilling the Bay supports the Geelong community through its education programs for young people. Our programs about the World of Work provide insight and support for young people with limited knowledge of their pathway options when they finish school. Skilling the Bay educates young people about industries of local significance. Our programs provide fun and informative opportunities to learn about the wide variety of roles in local industries. Through these programs Skilling the Bay raises the education levels, career aspirations, and workforce participation in the Barwon region.
In 2022, Skilling the Bay supported the English for Transition Pathways Program for youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds from Northern Bay College. These students face significant challenges in successfully completing secondary education and entering the workforce due to their low spoken and written English levels. The program is a partnership between Northern Bay College and The Gordon, with CatholicCare as a critical stakeholder. Students were enrolled in Certificate II in English as an Additional Language and were supported through in-school English programs. The students also participated in workshops on resumes, interviews, and job readiness and had fun excursions to practice their English skills. A key part of the program was to connect the families to support agencies and the wider Geelong community.
Skilling the Bay instills and influences changes in how our partners work by positioning itself at the intersection between local sectors. At The Gordon, through involvement in the Geelong Tertiary Futures Program, an increasing number of trainers are learning how effective providing high-quality, hands-on learning experiences is in working with school-age students. The ability of VET sector trainers to work with teachers from the school sector, at scale, on applied learning will be increasingly important as the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is rolled out.
Schools survey data shows that teachers participating in the Education and Pathways Initiative report increased their understanding of modern industries, cross-curricula careers-based learning opportunities, and post-school education and pathways systems. Increasing the knowledge of teachers is the first step towards enhancing their capacity to teach.