Youth employment continues to be a major focus in communities across Australia, and the leisure sector provides a viable way to connect young people to employment, and set them on a pathway to lifelong workforce participation. In Sydney’s western suburbs, Belgravia Foundation have teamed up with key local groups to actively support young people into employment, and have made an application to the Scanlon Foundation for some seed funding to help with this cause. The Youth Employment Pathway project is designed to create opportunities for training, employment and mentoring for multicultural youth, working directly with individuals who are unemployed, including those who may have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaborators in the project include Belgravia Leisure, Miller Technology High School, Western Sydney Multicultural Resource Centre, and Royal Life Saving NSW.  Supporters of the project include Liverpool City Council, and Member for Werriwa New South Wales, Ms Anne Stanley MP.

The project will start with 10 young people of culturally diverse backgrounds from Miller Technology High School, and 20 more each year following. They will be supported in connecting with local leisure centres operated by Belgravia Leisure to receive training in relevant roles within the leisure sector that may lead to meaningful employment, such as lifeguarding or swim teaching. The project aims to create a diversified workforce culture, system and process in two aquatic leisure venues (Whitlam Leisure Centre and Michael Wenden Aquatic & Leisure Centre).

Trained mentors within Belgravia Leisure will provide support and mentoring to prepare and support the students through their work education journey and future employment goals. Employment opportunities will be provided to the successful graduates of the Pool Lifeguard training and AUSTSWIM swim teacher training. In order to sustain the project, selected staff members will undergo training courses with Royal Life Saving NSW to enable local leisure venues to deliver their own Pool lifeguard courses, thus significantly constraining ongoing costs and supporting sustainability.