Programs / Funding

Connect Central

Connect Central is the doorway to education, training and employment in the Goldfileds region

Connect Central mid year report – click here

What is Connect Central?

Connect Central is an initiative which commenced in January 2007 aimed at creating a collaborative and coordinated approach to meeting the education, training, employment, social service and health needs of the “at risk” cohort of young people within the three local government areas of the City of Greater Bendigo, and the Central Goldfields and Mt. Alexander Shires.

What does Connect Central Offer?

Young people, their families and carers will access one service that:

• Acts as a doorway to educational and training opportunities and other support services which may be required by a young person to become re-engaged in education, training or employment.
• Undertakes an initial extensive assessment of the young persons needs in order to assist that young person to make appropriate choices around access to educational, training and service providers and programs.
• “holds onto” the young person until their individual educational and/or support needs are in place and prove to be sustainable.

Where is Connect Central?

Connect Central has its base on the first floor of BCentral in MundySt. Bendigo, right next to Centrelink, and is working to provide outreach service provision across the City of Greater Bendigo, and the Central Goldfields and Mt. Alexander Shires.

45 Mundy St. Bendigo, 3550
Ph: 5441 1444

Why did Connect Central Develop?

Locally, the Connect Central model derives from the need for community, training, education and employment organisations to work together more collaboratively to take a holistic and coordinated approach to meeting the education and pastoral needs of young people at risk who are not participating in education, training or employment.  Connect Central also seeks to simplify the maze that can confront young people and their families when trying to determine what education,employment and training options are available and would meet the young persons needs.

Connect Central through their youth transition support workers provide a guide to the maze.

Who is involved in Connect Central?

Connect Central has been established by a consortium of organisations including Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE, NETSchool/Bendigo Senior Secondary College, St Luke’s, Bendigo Community Health, CEB Inc., Catholic College Bendigo, Castlemaine Secondary College, and Maryborough Education Centre.

Connect Central is seeking to build partnerships with over 25 further service providers within the region. These service providers include education, training, employment, social service and health agencies.

Funding Sources

The employment of transition support staff within Connect Central is funded until September 2010 through the Victorian State Governments, transition support worker program, under the Youth Agency policy. Other sources of funding for the establishment of Connect Central have come from consortium members, and the Goldfields LLEN.

Connect Central in Schools

Connect Central in schools is a pilot project to run until the end of 2008. The project is a partnership between Bendigo Education Plan schools, Regional Office of DEECD and Connect Central. Connect Central in Schools will provide intensive case management to 25 students across the BEP schools who are “at risk” of not continuing their transition through school due to significant barriers which are impacting on the young persons life. The policy documents which provide the framework for this work are provided below.

· CCIS Referral Form

· CCIS Assessment Tool

· CCIS Project Overview and Guidelines

· Student Placement Protocol

Downloads
	Assessment tool	(60kb)
	CCIS Referral Form	(40kb)
	CCIS overview	(262kb)
	Student placement protocol	(64kb)
	Connect Central 2008 mid year report	(169kb)
	Connect Central Refferal/Request for Service Sheet	(71kb)