The Smith Family significantly expands careers education in schools nationwide

The Smith Family’s Growing Careers Project has the potential to transform the approach to careers education across the country

Children’s education charity The Smith Family is taking strides to ramp up careers education in Australia, offering over 76,000 places nationwide for secondary school students to take part in careers programs.

Enabled by $38.2 million in funding from the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the Growing Careers Project aims to support young Australians living in disadvantage to gain the skills, knowledge, attitudes and ways of behaving that they need to thrive in their lives beyond school. The project will run in participating partner schools in every state and territory, between 2021 and 2024.

“While there are pockets of excellence, the depth and quality of career support in schools is being dramatically challenged by the demands of our rapidly changing working world. This is particularly felt by schools located in low socio-economic areas, where higher student needs are combined with less access to resources,” said The Smith Family’s CEO, Doug Taylor.

“Our Growing Careers Project will support the career development of young people by working in new ways with students and schools, tertiary education providers, employers and the wider community. We hope this innovative approach will change how we all think about careers education for our young people and importantly support them to open their minds to a myriad of job possibilities.

“Amid current economic challenges, this project takes on added significance. With young Australians facing one of the most challenging labour markets in living memory, refocusing on providing effective careers education is fundamental to support the next generation,” said Mr Taylor.

The Growing Careers Project is based on international evidence of the strong relationship between young people’s exposure to the world of work during high school, and their future involvement in work, training or further study.

“Our aim is to track student participation across the four years of the project, to understand how they’re progressing in their education. We’ll look at what’s resonating with them from a careers perspective and what more we can do to support their career pathways when they leave school. Our programs can encompass anything from a short career focused activity, to online mentoring or spending a few days in a workplace.”

The Smith Family will evaluate the results of the project and in sharing this information, help build Australia’s understanding and evidence base into the impact of effective careers education on secondary students.

The Smith Family is now seeking employers and corporate partners to help with implementing its evidence-based careers programs. Collaboration with local communities is essential to empower young people to strive for better futures, and The Smith Family is looking to partner with employers who are able to take part.

“If you’re an employer and you’re keen for young people to learn about your industry and consider it as a career option, we’d love to hear from you,” said Doug Taylor.

Media Enquiries:

Natasha Surdich, Strategic Communication Specialist | 0431 525 989 | natasha.surdich@thesmithfamily.com.au

Michael Tarquinio, Senior Media Advisor | 0481 903 439 | michael.tarquinio@thesmithfamily.com.au