School to Work Transitions program

The School to Work Transitions (S2WT) program is delivering $3 million over 3 years to support school students who are at risk of not transitioning successfully from school to further education, training or employment, by providing tailored solutions to improve post-school outcomes.

The S2WT program has been implemented as part of the school-to-work transitions focus area of the Good people. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022–2032.

Application process for 2024–25 funding closed on 1 March 2024.

Funded organisations support priority school student groups through:

• creating strong and effective school-industry partnerships across Queensland
• connecting schools, students and employers to maximise local employment opportunities and create youth-friendly workplaces
• enabling tailored assistance and support approaches to be provided to under-represented student groups.

The priority school student groups are:

• school-based apprentices and trainees
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• students from schools with an Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) below 900
• rural and remote students
• under-represented groups in the workforce
• place-based strategies in areas with high youth unemployment and/or significant workforce strategies that could be filled by school leavers.

S2WT 2024–25 (round 3) funding round closed

Funding round outcome is expected to be released in May 2024.

S2WT project examples

With a focus on underrepresented cohorts, these are some examples of possible S2WT projects:

• projects that streamline School based Apprenticeship and Traineeships (SAT) and the employment process for employers and schools, while ensuring that mutual obligations for this pathway are well understood
• supporting schools, parents, students and employers to navigate the apprenticeship and traineeship system to improve satisfaction with the SATs experience and increase completion rates
• coordinating work experience opportunities for students and local employers, and provide support to all parties engaged in the process
• engagement of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander project officer to lead engagement activities
• building connections between schools, students, families, local community organisations and employers to support successful transitions into employment
• providing students with employability skills, mentoring in the workplace, personal mentoring to build resilience, and ensuring students have the personal resources to participate in the workforce
• designing local approaches that focus on linking students with suitable employment aligned with individual interests, skills and aptitudes
• providing opportunities in industries and occupations where females are under-represented
• projects that facilitate opportunities for students with a disability to transition to work or further studies
• and/or
• facilitating workforce participation for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

More information

For more information on the School to Work Transitions program, email GISP@desbt.qld.gov.au.