Mt Isa graduates Transition 2 Success

Two young people from Mt Isa are the latest graduates of a highly-successful education and training program helping at-risk youth get their lives back on track.

Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer said the young people were the second group to graduate from the Transition 2 Success (T2S) program in the region.

T2S supports young people involved in the youth justice or child safety system, who have had difficulty with mainstream education, learning difficulties, or ongoing complex family situations, to gain real-world skills and hands-on training to continue their education or gain employment.

“A huge congratulations to Mt Isa’s latest T2S graduates who completed a program which focused on life skills, literacy and numeracy development, woodwork and safe food handling education,” Ms Farmer said.

“These graduates have already completed T2S through the support of committed youth workers and local community organisations and business who provide valuable opportunities for work experience.

“The evidence shows that 67% of graduates don’t go on to offend within 12 months of doing T2S, and 97% go on to further education, training or employment.

“Young people are supported in three areas, job-related training to get them ready to enter the workforce, and social skills and behaviour management training to give then the best possible chance to succeed in life.”

Ms Farmer said the T2S program was one of a suite of initiatives helping young Queenslanders to break the cycle of youth crime and improve their future prospects.

“Many of the young people who participate in the T2S program have been in contact with the youth justice system or are at risk of doing so,” she said.

“They are also 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.”

T2S currently operates in 13 locations throughout Queensland, with hundreds of young people achieving qualifications in construction, agriculture and landscaping, engineering, hospitality and business.

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