Transition to Success kicks off in Cherbourg

Young people from Cherbourg are among the latest in Queensland to take part in a successful education and training program helping at-risk youth get their lives back on track.

Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer said the Transition to Success (T2S) program that kicked off in Cherbourg in early March would run for 10 weeks.

T2S supports young people involved in the youth justice or child safety systems, who have had difficulty with mainstream education, learning difficulties, or ongoing complex family situations to gain real-world skills and hands-on training to continue their education or gain employment.

“T2S participants have all taken long strides towards a brighter future confirmed by a detailed evaluation of the program that found that more than two-thirds of graduates did not offend within 12 months,” Ms Farmer said.

Nine young people are taking part in the first round of this program in Cherbourg that includes educational components such as White Card, First Aid, learner’s licence and basic literacy and numeracy skills.

“This T2S program has a strong focus on engagement, capacity building, behavioural and emotional regulation and culture and staff are working with a number of community agencies and businesses to get them involved.”

Ms Farmer said the program would support young people through job-related training to get them ready to enter the workforce.

“We want these young people to have the same opportunities as other young Queenslanders and T2S is really about setting these young people up for the best possible chance to succeed in life,” she said.

T2S is among a suite of Palaszczuk Government initiatives helping young Queenslanders break the cycle of youth crime and improve their prospects.

“Many of the young people who participate in the T2S program have been in contact with the youth justice system or are at risk of doing so,” she said.

“The community expects young people to be accountable for their actions, but I’m sure they also want to see young people supported to get their lives back on track, and to have the skills needed to find secure long-term employment.”

The start of T2S in Cherbourg brings the number of locations the program operates in across Queensland to 16. To date hundreds of young people have achieved qualifications in construction, agriculture and landscaping, engineering, hospitality and business.

For more information on how to get involved with your local T2S program, visit https://www.youthjustice.qld.gov.au/program-evaluation/transition-success

Media Contact:  Jim Devine 3719 7336 or 0427 475 089