Colleges pioneer mentoring scheme

By Sarah Schwager
TWO local secondary colleges are pioneering a mentoring program for its students at risk of leaving school early.
Lyndhurst Secondary College and Hampton Park Secondary College have set up a program aimed at linking students with older mentors from the community to help ease the transition from school to work.
Lyndhurst Secondary College teacher and student welfare coordinator Luke Harrison said the two schools were the only two in Victoria to pilot the program.
The mentors include social work students, a local pastor and community members and all of them will go through a 10-week course at Chisholm Institute to qualify.
From next week, the mentors will meet every Wednesday morning with students at the Cranbourne school at risk of going into the workforce early and who need assistance and an adult mentor. Last week, students at Lyndhurst were introduced to some of the mentors.
At this stage the youths to receive help are a group of year 10 students in the Youth Pathways program, many of whom have signed a No Dole pledge stating that by next March they will either have a job or be studying or training in order to get one.
Mr Harrison said they were hoping the program would run through the year.