Brighter future beckons for Mount Isa’s Transition 2 Success students

Eight young people in Mount Isa are working their way towards a brighter future with the commencement of theTransition 2 Success (T2S) program in the region.

Minister for Youth Di Farmer said the Mount Isa T2S program will run for nine weeks and will operate in partnership with the Edmund Rice Flexible Learning Centre, PCYC, Gidgee Healing, Men’s Shed and TAFE.

“We know T2S works to reduce offending and reoffending, and get young people into education and the workforce,” Ms Farmer said.

“These eight young people will join the more than 400 young people who have already graduated from T2S programs in Queensland, and more than 95 per cent of them have gone on to get a job or moved into further education.

“Importantly, almost 6 out of 10 graduates don’t go on to reoffend within six months of doing a T2S program which is exactly the sort of result we want to see.

“This is the first group of young people to enrol in the program here in Mount Isa and what we’ve found is that T2S graduates often go on to mentor subsequent cohorts of young people – not just turning their own lives around, but helping to change the story for other young people.”

Transition 2 Success provides training opportunities to young people who have dropped out of or are at risk of leaving school, and those who have had contact with youth justice.

The first Mount Isa participants will work to attain a construction white card, first aid certificate and learner driver’s licence.

Ms Farmer said young people involved in T2S are often struggling with social disadvantage, exposure to domestic violence, drug abuse and unstable parenting as well as intergenerational unemployment.

“As well as earning some basic qualifications, T2S helps connect young people with other support services to help them stay on track like housing or drug and alcohol services,” she said..

“I look forward to returning for their graduation ceremonies in December and seeing how these young people respond to the program.”

T2S currently operates in 10 locations around the state – Aurukun, Townsville, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Caboolture, Sunshine Coast, Western Districts, Ipswich and Logan – and will expanded to a further 10 sites.

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