Youth in Port Stephens to benefit from the Get Back in the Game program expansion Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - May 25, 2022 DISENGAGED youth in Port Stephens region will now benefit from an expansion of the NSW Government’s ‘Get Back in the Game’ program. The initiative aims to connect young people aged fifteen to nineteen years old with education, training and employment, supported by seven community-based youth support organisations. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Get Back in the Game will focus on young people who are still at school but struggling to engage with education as well as those who have left school but are finding it difficult to make effective transitions into training or employment. Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the highly successful Get Back in the Game program is now being expanded to support additional people across the state, particularly in the Hunter region. “More than 7,000 young people have discovered areas of interest, developed career plans, and either engaged in work or training or headed back to complete their secondary school education, since the program started in 2016,” Ms Mitchell said. “This expansion will further the program’s reach and help more young people finish school, access training and get a job.” Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens said the program helps young people gain employability skills, identify career pathways and establish valuable connections with employers and industry. “We want to ensure that every young person in NSW has an opportunity to reach their potential and find a job they want,” Mr Henskens said. “When young people disengage from education, this program provides a helping hand to reconnect them with positive training and employment opportunities.” “This program is a win-win – it will support vulnerable young people while benefiting employers across a range of industries who are crying out for skilled workers.” Port Stephens is grouped into the ‘Newcastle and Surrounds’ category, facilitated through Novaskill and has offices in Singleton and Broadmeadow. Novaskill delivers both the Get in the Game and Back in the Game program. To find out more information on the program, contact Program Manager Andrew Richardson at GBIG@novaskill.com.au. By Tara CAMPBELL