Beacon focuses on disadvantaged communities and areas of high youth disengagement and unemployment, where the risk and the need are greatest. We work with schools, businesses and communities to help bring relevance to the curriculum and inspire young people to think about careers and experience the workplace, long before they leave school. This helps school retention rates and teaches real-life skills, preparing them for the workplace.
Youth unemployment continues to be a major issue in, particularly within disadvantaged communities. The youth unemployment rate consistently hovers around the 12% mark, more than double the national average. In some areas, youth unemployment is over 25%. Education is not preparing young people for work and careers education is not properly funded. Unemployment, particularly at a young age, has significant negative impacts on an individual's health and well-being.
Our programs fill a gap in the market by working with young people and empowering them with skills that are not always taught through core curriculum. They provide young people with careers guidance, 21st century skills, develops professional etiquette and gives them a chance to engage with industry professionals. Our programs are designed to create optimism, increase possibilities for a positive life and empower youth to take important steps toward financial independence.
In 2017 alone, Beacon delivered 240 Work Readiness Programs across Australia, connecting over 4400 young people, 301 educators and 978 industry representatives. 97% of participants completed an evaluation survey after participating in a program. The results were; 79% were more confident about getting a job, 74% felt more motivated, 76% felt more hopeful about their future, 76% learnt more about what work is like we expect to reach even more students in 2018 and beyond.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
