Beacon Foundation Intermediary Service
 

This morning I bring to your attention the matter of career education and the power of career intermediaries.  We recently received an informative briefing from the Beacon Foundation on why they exist and the work they undertake.  I was very impressed with the briefing on what Beacon is doing and the results that are being achieved.

 

We know that industry in Tasmania wants more from our young people.  They want them to be job-ready and to be productive as soon as they commence working in our industries across this island - expectations that are high, admirable and understandable.  We also know that teachers are stretched to capacity more than ever before.  The requirements in the classroom are more complex than we have ever seen and educators are dealing with a raft of significant matters at any one point in time, let alone the actual teaching and learning that needs to be undertaken.

 

Combining the challenges of industry and education you can see why it is important that intermediaries, like the Beacon Foundation, fill a void to make opportunities and connections happen, a positive relationship.  The Tasmanian Government is currently developing a Youth Jobs Strategy which is focused on job outcomes for young people.  There is no doubt that we all want to see our young people receiving excellent training opportunities and secure employment.  However, I am concerned that there is not enough emphasis going into the area of career education as part of this strategy development.

 

We also know that there are expert third parties who are more than capable, who excel at this work and who can act as a facilitator to connect the worlds of education and work.  These third parties are often called career intermediaries.  Today, I will focus on the importance of them, particularly the Beacon Foundation.

 

The Beacon Foundation is one such career intermediary that has achieved significant positive impacts across Tasmanian schools and industries.  These organisations serve as guiding lights for students, providing invaluable support and opportunities that empower young people to navigate the often complex life journey from school to work.  Career intermediaries work with students to foster self-discovery, self-growth and self-awareness.

 

Adolescence is a pivotal and, at times, challenging time when young people begin to grapple with questions about who they are and what they want to become.  They can start facilitating this process by helping young people explore their interests, their strengths and skills, with the aim the young person taps into these for their career decision-making.  Career intermediaries utilise expert facilitators who work with young people to help discover their unique talents and interests, their strengths and their values, all of which enables them to make well-informed choices about their educational and career pursuits.

 

Career intermediaries like Beacon Foundation also play a crucial role in bridging the gap between education and employment.  They help young people connect the dots between classroom learning and the real world to make what happens in the classroom apply to the world of work and it makes for a more realistic circumstance.  These organisations broaden the horizons of adolescents by exposing them to diverse career options.  Often young people, schools and families are not aware of the multitude of jobs, industries and professions out there.

 

Intermediaries organise events and activities and can bring professionals from different fields to speak at local schools or organise visits to workplaces that introduce young people to a wide range of career possibilities, a far more exhaustive list than even teaching staff can imagine.  One can visualise a teenager growing up in a relatively isolated community in regional Tasmania with perhaps limited exposure to a number of professions, jobs and career paths.  Unique organisations like Beacon Foundation can play a significant role in the lives of these young people.

 

The role of an intermediary does not only support young people to build successful careers, but also contributes to the development of confident, resilient and well-rounded individuals who will shape the future and respond to the needs of our emerging industries.  Members, I am sure we would all agree that we want our young people to have bright futures, to work in meaningful work fulfilling to them as people, but also adding to the economic, environmental, cultural and social fabric of Tasmania.  Indeed, the variety and movement of careers, with new spheres of employment rapidly changing, allows intermediaries to fill that space and be up to date.

 

The Beacon Foundation have operated in this area for over 35 years and were one of Tasmania's great success stories, who have quietly been getting on with positively impacting the lives of young Tasmanians for over three generations.  I would encourage all members to recognise the value and importance of career intermediaries in supporting our youth, as well as our educators, schools and industry.

 

I look forward to seeing intermediaries as a critical area of focus and investment in the Tasmanian Government's Youth Jobs Strategy to enable Beacon Foundation to expand and continue to be a proven and supported player in the lives of all of our youth in all of our schools.