Annual Report 2014
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Annual Report 2014 Local & Network Learning Employment WIMMERA SOUTHERN MALLEE LLEN Annual Report 2014 WIMMERA SOUTHERN MALLEE LLEN Contents Vision 2014 – Year at a Glance 1 The Wimmera Southern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Chair & Executive Officer’s Report 2 Network’s objective is to assist young people to complete year Committee of Management 4 12 or its vocational equivalent. This includes traineeships and Staff 5 apprenticeships. A particular focus of our work is with young Strategic Plan 6 people from a disadvantaged background. Our Service Region 8 Programs Established 9 Workplace Learning Coordinator’s Program 10 Mission Support for Schools 11 To create partnerships between industry, education and the Partnership Broker’s Program 12 community that develop positive futures for our young people. MATES Mentoring Program 14 Reading Buddies Program 15 Parent and Community Engagement 16 Western Victorian Careers Expo 18 Partnerships brokered by WSMLLEN 20 Program partners 22 WSMLLEN Members 26 Financial Statements 30 Acknowledgements WSMLLEN acknowledges and thanks the following organisations and government departments for their funding support: • Federal Department of Education - Partnership Broker’s Program • Department of Education and early Childhood Development (DEECD) - Partnership Broker’s Program • Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet - Parent and Community Engagement Program • Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) - Let’s Read • Rupanyup and Minyip Community Bank - Let’s Read Yarriambiack • Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly - Wimmera Sports Mentoring Program • Wimmera Southern Mallee VET Cluster - VET Coordination Printing: Wimmera Mail Times Graphic Design: Lorraine Merton © 2015, Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN www.llen.com.au 2014 – Year at a Glance MATES Reading Buddies programs 18 MATES Mentoring programs have established in 11 schools with over matched 281 mentors with 281 young 70 community volunteers reading people since the commencement of the with children on a regular basis program in 2011 Let’s Read Program established 40 school staff from 21 schools across the 4 Wimmera Southern attended PD to support the Mallee shires with 400 Let’s Read implementation of the SenseAbility packs distributed to families resilience program Jobs4Me program enabled a total of 16 primary and 6 secondary Koorie 48 Koorie students to participate in students received intensive support in three industry visits a pilot literacy enhancement program More than 440 young people have More than 50 young people participated in junior sports programs participated in the Wimmera over the past 4 years through the Southern Mallee Sports Mentoring WSMLLEN brokered Sports Mentoring Program in 2014 partnership 21 Community Action Network meetings Hands on Learning Programs held in 2014, with 256 attendances established in 4 schools from 44 organisations, coming together supporting students at risk of to support young people in their local disengaging from education community. 73 businesses signed up to support Sponsorship and support of the 27th local schools through the School Western Victorian Careers Expo Friendly Business programs attended by more than 2,000 people ‘Knowledge is Power,’ Alcohol and Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Other Drugs Education program has been delivered to 119 Yarriambiack delivered at 3 schools with a total Shire community members since the of 35 sessions attended by 150 inception of the Live Your Life program young people Page 1 Chair & Executive Officer’s Report The Wimmera Southern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Significant Outcomes Network’s (WSMLLEN) mission is to create partnerships between Collaborative partnerships mean that we can achieve much more industry, education and the community that develop positive working together than any one agency can achieve working alone. futures for our young people. Our mission drives our Committee It is only through the collective effort and contribution of our of Management and our staff to improve education and life partners that the following significant outcomes were achieved. outcomes for our young people. We have a particular focus on Over the year we have supported, maintained and expanded addressing disadvantage and targeting support for those young existing programs and developed 21 new partnerships and people most in need. programs, including: • The Let’s Read Program The year began with a move to new offices at Federation University • MATES Mentoring Program in February. The move has been a great success and locates the • MATES Reading Buddies Program WSMLLEN right in the heart of Horsham’s education precinct. • Literacy Intervention Program Our thanks go to Head of Campus - Wimmera, Geoff Lord, and • Jobs4Me Program Federation University for providing the opportunity and their • School Friendly Business Program ongoing support. • Wimmera Southern Mallee Sports Mentoring Program The WSMLLEN’s members and partners can reflect on the • Community Action Networks achievements of 2014 and be proud that the organisation has • Western Victorian Careers Expo delivered strong outcomes for our young people. Our work has a • Live your Life - Youth Mental Health First Aid Training real impact in the communities we work with across the Wimmera • Knowledge is Power (Wimmera Drug Action Taskforce - Southern Mallee region which covers an area in excess of 28,000 Alcohol and Other Drugs Education program) square kilometres. Financial Partnerships The WSMLLEN continues to operate in an efficient and prudent We could not achieve our objectives without the support of our way. Our Finance Committee meets on a regular basis to ensure partners. The work and contribution of our partners is greatly that our operations are tracking in line with budgeted expenditure. valued and appreciated. The WSMLLEN has a clear focus on Expenses were $77,000 under budget and the organisation achieving our mission through the brokering, creation and maintains a strong balance sheet with $303,031 of retained maintenance of strong partnerships to support our youth and the earnings (equity) at the end of 2014. schools that educate them. Committee of Management There are currently 50 active partnerships brokered by the We would like to acknowledge and thank the WSMLLEN WSMLLEN, working to improve the education and life outcomes Committee of Management for their valuable contribution over of our young people. The WSMLLEN is a member of 15 other the past year. The committee is made up of passionate, committed partnerships and networks to enhance collaboration and to and skilled people willing to donate their time and expertise to facilitate and support the achievement of our strategic goals. improve the lives of young people throughout the region. The committee guides and governs the WSMLLEN on a voluntary basis. The combined knowledge and expertise of the committee is a wonderful asset to the organisation and ensures that our strategic direction, governance and probity are maintained at very high levels. Page 2 Staff Looking Forward The WSMLLEN team is hard-working, passionate and dedicated The WSMLLEN faced an uncertain future throughout most of to improving education and life outcomes of our region’s young 2014. The majority of our funding in 2014 was from the Federal people. We regularly receive positive feedback from our partners Government’s Department of Education through the delivery and stakeholders regarding the excellent work and achievements of the Partnership Brokers program. The Federal Government of our staff members. discontinued the Partnership Brokers program at the end of 2014. LLENs across the state were challenged by the uncertainty We would like to recognise and thank the WSMLLEN staff for their of funding beyond 2015. It was only in November 2014 that performance and contribution throughout the year. Our team the position became clearer when the newly elected State throughout 2014 included Dimity O’Bryan (Workplace Learning Government committed to funding for the following four years. Coordinator), Lorraine Merton (Administration Officer), Dean Significant funding reductions will apply over the next four O’Loughlin and Joy Forbes (Partnership Brokers), Sarah Wickes, years due to the cessation of the Federal Government’s support Lyn Sudholz, Carolynne Hamdorf and Fiona McKeown (Project through the Partnership Brokers program. Officers) and Roy Henwood (Finance Officer). All LLENs are appreciative of the State Government’s support and We farewelled Sarah Wickes and Dean O’Loughlin in the middle of commitment over the next four years. We accept the challenge the year and their positions were very ably filled by Lyn Sudholz that we need to do more with less, and we are confident that and Joy Forbes. Carolynne Hamdorf and Fiona McKeown joined we can maintain a high level of support for our partnerships, the team in the second half of the year to support the delivery programs and partners across the region. of the literacy intervention project for Koorie students. We wish departing team members all the best in their future endeavours. We are excited by the opportunities and challenges of 2015 Acknowledgements and beyond. Many of our programs are having a tremendously positive impact on young lives and we are committed to The WSMLLEN is indebted to our partners and stakeholders. providing the highest level of support to those who most need Our achievements would not be possible without their our assistance. Our organisation is owned by the community and