Although the resources are written with a focus on group based delivery, many activities and worksheets can be used when working with young people in a one on one situation.
The activities have been grouped into lessons, but are suited to delivery in a range of contexts outside a school setting.
For young people not in employment, education and training some keys issue may be:
- lack of experience of workplaces
- little understanding of alternative pathways
- low self esteem
- low literacy.
With this in mind, more time may be needed on the Opportunity Awareness section activities that relate to developing understanding of the world of work, and on the Self Awareness section activities related to raising self esteem.
If young people come from a background of generational unemployment, more time will be needed on developing an understanding of how the world of work functions - the culture of the workplace, employer expectations and employer and employee rights and responsibilities.
Self awareness section
These activities will assist in developing self esteem, by getting young people to explore their interests, abilities and values. If low self esteem is an issue, more work may be needed to develop resilient individuals. Activities in Promoting myself (doc - 491kb) will help in developing a positive self image and allow them to present themselves positively as a potential employee.
Opportunity awareness section
Particular lessons (such as Paid work activities (doc - 505kb)) may not be appropriate if students have not had paid part-time experience in the workplace.
Provide alternative activities exploring pathways with a focus on transition into education, training and employment. Explore options in the TAFE and ACE (Adult and Community Education) sectors and/or tertiary bridging courses.
For students with low literacy, who are visual learners and/or enjoy more practical hands on activities, ensure that they explore options provided in the TAFE and ACE sectors. VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning), as well as being offered in schools, is offered in TAFE and may suit learners who do not want to return to a school environment.
Remember worksheets for students are provided in word format so that they can be downloaded and adapted to suit the needs of individuals or groups of young people.
Decision learning section
Everyone needs the skills to make informed decisions about their future. Reality checking of their decisions is an important part of the process.
Transition planning section
Goal setting (doc - 492kb) and Access your allies (doc - 485.5kb) and Career pathway planning (doc - 520kb) are important lessons for all young people. Other lessons in this section on writing resumes, applying for jobs and interviews may require some modification to delivery and the handouts to target the needs and skills of the young people you are working with.
Prior to any workplace learning experiences, more work may be needed on basic aspects of presenting themselves for work including personal hygiene, appropriate dress, punctuality etc. Expectations of employers in the workplace may also need to be clearly elaborated.
Although designed for students with disabilities, activities in the Before you go… (doc - 585kb) lesson could be used with students who have little experience of workplaces. To develop understanding of workplace safety issues prior to workplace learning, young people should complete safe@work the occupational health and safety general and industry specific modules.
VE&T Options and pathways lessons
Options and pathways in the Vocational Education and Training sector are highlighted. Although written as a series of lessons from Year 6 to Year 10, activities in the earlier lessons could be modified to suit older students and could be used as a unit on their own, or incorporated with lessons from the other sections of this resource.
The Studying and training section of Youth Central includes written and video profiles of young people who have chosen a VET pathway to complement these activities.
Support services
Many government and non-government services exist to support young people not in employment, education or training. These include:
- Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs) - bring together education providers, industry, community organisations, individual and government organisations to improve education, training and employment outcomes for young people in communities across Victoria.
Below are some non-government organisations that provide welfare support and targeted employment programs. This list is not exhaustive and further exploration should be done to identify services in the local area.
- Berry Street Victoria - offers a range of services and specialised employment programs for young people throughout Victoria.
- Salvation Army - uses work training programs specifically designed for young people and outdoor adventure projects to help long term unemployed young people build skills, overcome fears, and broaden their perceptions of what they can achieve.