Education enthusiasts applauded

Noleen Turner HCCU Gold Sponsor, Peter Collar Advantage Accounting Gold Sponsor Ivana Agapiou Rotary, Warden Mersey HCCU Gold Sponsor

Last Wednesday night, over 30 local organisations were recognised for their generosity and support to youth in the Hastings LGA.

Gold sponsors of the Hastings Education Fund attended a glamorous event, held in their honour, at Port Macquarie TAFE's Graduate's Restaurant. Guest were also provided with first-hand experience of where their funding could lead, as TAFE Hospitality and Commercial Cookery students catered and looked after everyone.

The Hastings Education Fund (HEF) is the local branch of the Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEFA) and aims to assist regional and rural students overcome many challenges, such as travel and accommodation costs, which metropolitan students may not encounter.

As guests indulged in cocktails and canapés, HEF Chairman, Peter Cuskelly, thanked each of them for their continued support and encouraged them to talk further with selected grant recipients, to hear how their contributions have personally made a difference.

Mr Cuskelly then introduced CEO of CEFA, Sarah Taylor, who had travelled from Orange to attend the function.

"I am very impressed with the number of achievements by HEF since their inception two and a half years ago. They have assisted students in a range of disciplines, from both university and vocational study, to reach their goals," Ms Taylor said.

Many of the sponsors acknowledged her comments and agreed that HEF was money well spent.

Ivana Agapiou - Rotary District 9650 Youth Director said "The HEF is such a powerful mechanism for country youth to potentially access further education and a rare opportunity to contribute back to their communities and our society. And the program is replicated within so many of our towns and communities."

She said "that without personal and emotional assistance and growth, often educational goals are not achieved."

Rotary values are very aligned with the aims and aspirations of the HEF and are keen to continue to add valuable life and educational experiences for our regional youth. We like to think of it as the Hastings Education "Family", because it takes a community to raise a child.

Our District Governor, Rob Anderson has supported funding for eligible HEF students for completion of Rotary's flagship program - Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.(RYLA) The average cost is approx.$1,000 and involves a 7 day personal and professional development program facilitated by Volunteer Professionals. The target age is 18 -25 year olds.

"It is a great feeling being a sponsor of such a beneficial and pro-active charity. It's also good to see so many local businesses support our young people in gaining further education and skills, which are also good for business development,' said Warden Mersey, a gold sponsor from Holiday Coast Credit Union.

Cows Creating Careers

For the fifth year running, Mid Coast Connect has welcomed some visiting calves to our local schools. 

As participants in the Cows Create Careers program, students have the responsibility to feed and care for the calves as part of a unique hands-on learning experience.  

Local farmers have loaned two poddy calves to each of the eight participating schools. For three weeks the students will look after the calves and monitor their growth. They will also learn about the dairy industry and associated career opportunities after the calves are returned.

Jenny Fraser from Mid Coast Connect said 'We want to teach kids that they don't have to be brought up on a dairy farm to work in the dairy industry or agriculture. There are lots of great training options and career paths available.'

Local farmers, TAFE and industry professionals meet with the students to teach them about different aspects of the dairy industry as they work their way through the project. Students work in teams on a range of tasks which showcase their experiences and what they have learned throughout the project.  

At the conclusion of the project in October, over 250 students will participate in the presentation day and awards ceremony. Prizes, including $500 cash, are awarded to the winning teams and schools in a variety of categories.  

Good luck to the participating schools for 2013 - Kempsey High, Melville High, St Pauls College, Westport High, Port Macquarie High, Wauchope High, Camden Haven High and Taree Christian College.

Passport to a successful future

Nathan Davey from Taree Christian College was awarded a JB HiFi voucher at his recent school assembly. Nathan won this by attending the Mid Coast Careers Market day held at the Port Macquarie Racecourse in May.

The Mid Coast Careers Market is an annual event that aims to connect students with employers, education and training providers, volunteer and support organisations. It highlights opportunities and provides information on future careers and employment with businesses and industries from across the region.

This year's event featured over 80 exhibitors from a wide variety of backgrounds who informed participants about employment, career and study options in a fun and interactive manner. Each student was provided with a passport which needed to be stamped each time they visited an exhibitor and asked questions or obtained information. Once the passport was full, student's names were then entered into a draw to win vouchers from JB HiFi.

Nathan said he was excited to win the voucher and it was a complete surprise as his Careers Adviser kept it a secret until he announced it at the school's assembly. Toni-lee Palmer, Work Placement Coordinator from Mid Coast Connect was available to make the presentation. 'Mid Coast Connect works hard each year with TAFE to make the Careers Market as interesting and informative as it can. The passport was something new that we added for a bit of fun. I'm sure Nathan is pleased that he took the opportunity to attend the event and I also thank Taree Christian College for bringing their students on the day'. Toni-lee said.

The Mid Coast Careers Market is a great example of how Mid Coast Connect works to assist young people with their transition through school and into further education, training and employment.