Premier Ted Baillieu has joined Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood to officially open Victoria’s newest Work and Learning Centre at Moe.
The opening delivers on an election commitment to set up Work and Learning Centres at five new locations across the State, to boost jobs and training in areas with a high concentration of public housing.
Mr Baillieu said the Moe Centre would continue the Victorian Coalition Government’s work to assist people in participating in work, training and education opportunities.
“Work and Learning Centres are now helping Victorians reach their full potential here in Moe, as well as in Carlton, Geelong and Ballarat, and the fifth centre will soon be up and running in Shepparton,” Mr Baillieu said.
“The centres are really kicking goals in their work to help people improve their skills and get into the workforce.
“It’s important that we support people to participate in their communities and help them into education, training and employment,” Mr Baillieu said.
Mr Baillieu said participants would not only receive training, but would also be linked to support services to help address any issues that were an impediment to finding work.
“This centre will work with local businesses to understand their employment needs and provide staff to meet those needs, so it’s a win, not only for the centre participants, but also for local employers,” Mr Baillieu said.
Mr Blackwood said the centre, run in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Gippsland Employment Skills Training (GEST), would operate in Moe with outreach services to Morwell.
GEST was chosen to run the local Work and Learning Centre because of its strong history of education and training in the Moe region.
Mr Blackwood said the added benefit of the Work and Learning Centre was that people would get a more comprehensive service, to help them into education, training and eventually work.
“This program also involves helping participants to develop their own plan with a Work and Learning Adviser,” Mr Blackwood said.
“Through that, they’ll receive support to help them finish training, and find and keep a job.
“The benefits will be felt not only by the people boosting their skills through the Work and Learning Centre, but also by the wider Moe and Morwell communities,” Mr Blackwood said.
GEST spokesperson Noreen Plozza said there was great excitement about the new centre at her organisation.
“There is also a great deal of goodwill among agencies and organisations that are keen to link with the centre, because of a widespread expectation of new opportunities to be created for people in public housing,” Ms Plozza said.
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