Young Western Australians are being urged to consider volunteering as a way of improving their employment prospects.
Volunteering Minister Mick Murray today announced that the State Government will provide funding of $440,000 to Volunteering WA over three years to deliver the Volunteering: A Pathway to Job Readiness program.
A lack of workplace skills and experience are key factors in youth unemployment. The program will help address this by supporting young people aged between 15 and 24 years to engage in volunteering as a way to build the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to become workplace ready.
The Volunteering: A Pathway to Job Readiness program will also support volunteer involving organisations to attract, engage and support young people to volunteer, while helping them to develop the skills and experience to improve their job readiness and employability.
The funding will enable Volunteering WA to develop and deliver face-to-face training, materials and online tools for the program.
As stated by Volunteering Minister Mick Murray:
“The heaviest impacts of COVID-19 were unfortunately felt by industries that historically employed large numbers of young people, such as hospitality and retail, as well as a number of entry-level training programs.
“While Western Australia’s success in preventing community transmission has seen the State experience a strong recovery, many young people are still looking for the workplace skills and experience they need to get into work.
“While not a substitute for employment or job training, volunteering can help young people develop workplace experience and networks, communication and engagement skills and a meaningful connection to their community.”
