Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Colleagues, there are some very special guests in the gallery today. I'd like to acknowledge leaders from Sacred Heart College in Yarrawonga and FCJ College Benalla. I acknowledge in particular, over on my right, Councillor Ashlee Fitzpatrick, one of Victoria's youngest councillors; Rob Richardson, President of the Regent Honeyeater Project—and a couple of other people, who I'll come to in a minute. I especially welcome back to parliament Julie Aldous from the schools-to-industries pathway project. Julie brings with her Lucie Wallis, Norm Madden and Danny O'Donoghue, who are in parliament today doing some lobbying around a fantastic project that we've got operating in north-east Victoria, linked to the North East Local Learning and Employment Network, with a specific focus on health care, social assistance and agriculture. It's a lovely example of all levels of government working together.

The project is aimed at year 9 students and employers in the ag and hort industry and in the healthcare industry, who will work at school based apprenticeships and traineeships, post-school vocational work and online study and build the community capacity and create jobs in our communities so that these young people know that they've got a future in our communities, because we want them living locally. So I send a call-out to all schools, parents and employers: we've got a fantastic model and we're happy to talk about it. You too can have it in your community, employing young people where they need to be. (Time expired)