Youth unemployment remains a problem all across Queensland. In November 2021, Government research indicated that youth unemployment in the Wide Bay Region was at 17.8%, which is significantly higher than many other areas in the state. Facing this challenge in Wide Bay is whole community business.
At USHS, our focus is on working together to learn and provide opportunities for “what comes next" for every student. This means a focus not only on providing 'traditional' education, but also on sourcing and creating opportunities to help ensure successful transitions that assist our students to become young adults, positively contributing to our community. We are therefore proud to announce that we have developed a partnership with the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre (HBNC) to access a range of supports for young people as they seek to journey into employment and training.
On the 17th June 2022, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will enable a group of our Yr 10 and 11 students to participate in 'Our Voice', a work readiness program that will allow our students to work with HBNC once a week over the duration of a school term. During this time, students will explore their goals and dreams and have the opportunity to meet and learn from many employers in our community. It is our hope that this will bring our young people one step closer to finding a successful post-school pathway and future success.
