In partnership with the University of Wollongong, the University of Tasmania is undertaking two nationally funded projects to improve access to information about higher education study options, pathways and careers for low socioeconomic status students and those who influence them.
Key influencers project (project completion date: 1 April 2021)
Careers advice project (project completion date: 31 October 2020)
The projects are funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education and are being conducted under the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment National Priorities Pool program.
Key influencers project
This project aims to design, trial and evaluate whole community, place-based, coordinated career and education pathway information and support.
The project will establish career and education pathway working parties in three case study communities in two States, each resourced with a pathway broker. Working parties and communities will be made aware of a suite of programs and interventions found to be successful in informing and influencing key influencers of student pathway choice. Working parties and communities will be assisted through a process led by the researchers to select and/or modify programs and interventions aligned with community needs. These will be trialled and evaluated.
Interventions
Parents Matter: Train parents to organise events to familiarise other parents and families with career pathways and associated education pathways. For more details, refer to the Parents Matter website.
Warm Connections: Training and information resources for local library, Neighbourhood House and other community organisations staff and volunteers, to assist rural adults to make informed decisions about undertaking further and higher education and training.
Growth Industry Preparation Program (GrIPP): Program run by Beacon Foundation to raise teacher, parent and other staff awareness of skills shortages and career opportunities within the local community and around Tasmania.
Project resources
- Final report
- Template for identifying local key influencers in your community (PDF 451.7 KB)
- Template for gathering information to inform information and support needs of local key influencers (PDF 529.0 KB)
- Template for identifying program interventions for local key influencers in your community (PDF 485.9 KB)
- Online GrIPP - Influencing the influencers
- Parents Matter videos
Team
| University of Tasmania |
Professor Sue Kilpatrick Dr. Nicoli Barnes Dr. Jessica Woodroffe Dr. Robin Katersky Barnes Dr. Subhash Koirala |
|---|---|
| University of Wollongong |
Ms Kylie Austin Professor Sarah O'Shea Professor Julia Coyle |
Careers advice project
The aim of this project is to investigate best practice initiatives that relate to career advice and successful approaches to productive industry engagement for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
The project is led by the University of Wollongong (UoW). For more details about the project, refer to the UoW project website.
Contact
For more information about the project, contact Sue.Kilpatrick@utas.edu.au or Subhash.Koirala@utas.edu.au.
