Program established
2013
Developed in partnership with education, industry and community leaders to increase positive outcomes for young people in Gippsland.
The Broadening Horizons program builds students’ confidence and helps prepare them for the world of work, providing career exploration opportunities throughout their schooling journey.
The program was co-designed in response to some research undertaken initially in 2013, which showed that students in Gippsland face significantly increased challenges compared to their counterparts in metro Melbourne. Student engagement, high school completion rates and youth unemployment rates all stood out as signs that young people in Gippsland need attention and these challenges remain today.
To address these challenges, Broadening Horizons was co-designed by community leaders, government and local industry representatives, with the thinking that linking schools with industry would help to lift the aspirations of our young people by providing high-quality exposure to the world of work. We know that real-world learning experiences have the greatest impact when education providers and employers work together with students early and intensely. Moreover, by developing students’ understanding of enterprise skills and how these skills will equip them for lifelong learning, we can better prepare younger people for the future world of work. And the research shows this to be the case.
What we do to respond as a program: We connect schools with industry through meaningful partnerships, with the aim that these partnerships ultimately play a role in shaping students’ futures through exposure to authentic career education. This means that the program embraces real-work learning for young people to gain a sense of what they could do into the future. A key goal of the program is to open students’ eyes to the wider world of work around them. We do this through building aspiration, increasing school engagement with industry, parents and community, contributing to prosperity, and improving student engagement.
The program supports the development of the 6 C’s, essential, transferable skills and mindsets required to navigate and succeed in the world of work. Broadening Horizons provides meaningful context for students to explore these.
In 2024, Broadening Horizons has undergone an extensive stakeholder review, ensuring it continues to meet its underlying aim of preparing students for the working world via practical work-based learning programs, whist contributing to the prosperity of the Gippsland region, as follows:
Developed in partnership with education, industry and community leaders to increase positive outcomes for young people in Gippsland.
Sharing the journey to understand opportunities for continuous improvement and program sustainability.
Website developed with online portal access, and promotion of program delivery via social media.
Celebrating the participation of 4000 students since the program began.
Comprehensive review undertaken to align Broadening Horizons to strategic priorities for education and industry stakeholders.
New program modules developed, and program coordination team appointed across Gippsland LLENs.
New program launched to Gippsland school and industry stakeholders throughout October 2024.
