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$23 MILLION BOOST FOR TRAINING INDIGENOUS YOUTH FROM REMOTE COMMUNITIES

15 December 2005 MIN 2053/05

I am pleased to announce the nine successful tenderers who will provide vital training and employment opportunities to 600 Indigenous youth from remote communities across Australia, under the Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme.

The Australian Government has committed $23.1 million to provide young Indigenous Australians with an opportunity to relocate to major regional centres and train for a variety of new careers by undertaking pre-vocational training, a New Apprenticeship or tertiary level education.

The new programme is an important part of the Government’s Indigenous Australians Opportunity and Responsibility commitment, and is essential in ensuring that Indigenous youth from remote Australia receive every possible training and employment opportunity to help them achieve their full potential.

The training opportunities could lead to occupations in high demand throughout our remote Australian communities, such as trades, nursing, accountancy, business management and teaching. Participants may choose to return to their own communities to take up skilled jobs that are often filled by non-Indigenous workers, or pursue their careers elsewhere.

The new programme will ensure participants are provided with a comprehensive support network including safe accommodation (to be delivered by Aboriginal Hostels Limited), mentors, training and assistance in maintaining contact with their own communities.

The new providers will be based in Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Newcastle, Dubbo, Canberra, Shepparton, Perth and Darwin. I congratulate them, and wish the participants much success in their chosen career paths.

This important initiative underlines the Australian Government’s continued resolve to close the divide in education and training outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

In addition, I am pleased to announce that The Foundation for Young Australians has been appointed as the programme administrator for the new Indigenous Youth Leadership Programme to support the education of 250 talented Indigenous young people.

The Government has committed $12.9 million to the programme, which will incorporate the new National Indigenous Elders Advisory Group (NIEAG) to support and ensure the cultural integrity of the programme, and help design a mentoring strategy involving other Indigenous Australians.

Funding committed to these programmes is part of the Howard Government’s $2.1 billion package for Indigenous education for 2005-08. The funding package is a 22.3% increase over the previous four year funding period.

The list of the successful tenderers is attached.

Media Contacts: Dr Nelson’s Office: Yaron Finkelstein 0414 927 663
Dept of Education, Science & Training: Natalie Cooper (02) 6240 5002

 ATTACHMENT

Successful tenderers for the provision of Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme Training and Employment Services

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