3. Existing Victorian programs, initiatives and interventions This section provides a summary of the mapping exercise of current Victorian programs, initiatives and interventions designed to raise student aspiration towards school completion and progression towards further education and training.

The analysis has been undertaken using data provided by RDV, a review of publicly available information and information obtained through a stakeholder survey and workshops with stakeholders selected by RDV.

The purpose of this mapping exercise is to identify the range and scope of programs, interventions and initiatives currently available in Victoria, correlate these against Australian and international evidence concerning better-practice approaches to raising education aspirations, and identify potential gaps and areas for improvement and further policy development.

In addition to findings from the mapping exercise, this section provides a summary of nine programs selected for detailed case study analysis concerning program objectives, target groups, key activities, outcomes and monitoring processes. Detailed case study findings are available in Appendix A to this report.

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Mapping of existing interventions and programs

Overview of methodologyScopeThis section provides a summary of the mapping exercise of current Victorian programs, initiatives and interventions designed to raise student aspiration towards school completion and progression to further education and training. This mapping exercise has been undertaken to:

identify the range of programs, initiatives and interventions which seek to raise education aspirations currently in operation in Victoria; and

correlate current offerings against better-practice approaches identified in the literature review and identify ‘gaps’ and areas for improvement in improving education aspirations in future policy development activities.

In identifying appropriate programs and initiatives for inclusion in this mapping exercise, a definition of ‘education aspiration’ reflected in the literature was adopted – i.e. programs and initiatives which seek to raise a student’s expectations and desires as to how far they progress in school, and the degree of education they seek to achieve. Given this definition, other initiatives that do not target aspiration directly such as alternative methods of course delivery, childcare assistance/rebates and employment services have been deemed out of scope of this analysis.The mapping exercise has focused on analysis of inputs, as publicly available data on all initiatives varies across outcomes, impact, size, number of participants and level of funding required. As a result of this, the analysis has not been able to provide conclusions in relation to the appropriateness of the current geographic distribution of programs.It is also acknowledged that DEECD’s Early Childhood and Schools Education Group plays a significant role in designing, administering and evaluating programs which target students in the early childhood, primary and secondary school sectors. Indeed, at the heart of this Group’s mandate is promoting the learning, well-being and engagement of all children and young people. While a number of programs led by DEECD, other government agencies and other organisations aim to improve student engagement, retention and learning experiences, only programs that aim to achieve these objectives in order to seek improvement in student aspirations have been included in this analysis.

AnalysisIn undertaking this exercise KPMG has relied on data provided by RDV, DEECD, publicly available information and responses to a stakeholder survey and workshop.

The key findings are based on analysis of 94 initiatives across regional Victoria. In this analysis, initiatives have been counted separately if they are:

delivered in a separate regional location; align with more than one objective; and align with more than one intervention mechanism.

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This means that the total number of initiatives against criteria in each analysis may be greater than 94.

Examples in each locationA number of initiatives have been identified across each region. Examples of initiatives from each Victorian region, as well as state-wide, are provided below.

Sources: Gippsland Education Precinct, Key Achievements – Future Strategies 2010-2013 (Gippsland Education Precinct, 2010); Researching Virtual Initiatives in Education, Grampians Virtual School <

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http://www.virtualcampuses.eu/index.php?title=Grampians_Virtual_School&action=edit>; Deakin University, Deakin Engagement and Access Program < http://www.deakin.edu.au/equity-diversity/access-deap.php>; RMCG, Gateways 4 Sustainable Communities: Case study and project analysis (Final Report) (RMCG, 2010); Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Managed Individual Pathways (MIPS) < http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/pages/mips.aspx>; The Bridge Youth Service, Who are we? < http://www.thebridge.org.au/who-are-we.php>.

Examples of each interventionThe analysis identified five intervention types: improved career education, transition support, increasing student engagement in secondary and tertiary education opportunities, increased provision of and accessibility to financial support, and engagement of parents and the local community.A number of initiatives have been identified across each type of intervention. Examples of initiatives that demonstrate each intervention mechanism identified as part of the literature review are provided below. It is important to note that some of the initiatives identified are also multi-faceted (using more than one type of intervention).

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Sources: Beacon Foundation, Core Programs < http://beaconfoundation.com.au/what-we-do/beacon-programs/>; Monash University, Schools Access Monash < http://monash.edu/access/schools.html>; Chances for Children, About Chances < http://www.chancesforchildren.com.au/Home/About-Chances.aspx>; University of Ballarat, Regional Schools Outreach Program < http://www.ballarat.edu.au/future-students/information-for.../information-for-schools/regional-schools-outreach-program>; E-mail from Goulburn Murray LLEN to KPMG, 28 March 2013 (Parents Making a Difference).

Type of lead organisationA number of initiatives have been identified across nine types of lead organisations. An example of initiatives lead by each type of organisation is provided below.

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Sources: Newcomb Secondary College, 2013 Years 9 to 10 Pathway Planning (Newcomb Secondary College, 2012); LEAP, Leap into Health http://www.leap.vic.edu.au/students/health/activities; Youth Partnerships, Grampians http://www youthpartnerships vic gov au/Demonstration Sites/Grampians/Pages/grampians activities aspx; Hands on Learning The HOL Method http://handsonlearning org au/about/our program; City of Greater Geelong Minutes www.youthpartnerships.vic.gov.Demonstration-grampians-activities.Learning, handsonlearning.org.our-Geelong, – Ordinary Meeting of Council, 22 March 2011; Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Regional Career Development Officers http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/pathways/pages/regionalofficers.aspx; Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Youth Connections Factsheet (DEEWR, undated); E-mail from Wodonga Institute of TAFE to KPMG, 2 April 2013 (Re-engagement And Participation Project); E-mail from Goulburn Murray LLEN to KPMG, 28 March 2013 (Building a Bridge Information).

Initiatives by regionThe analysis identified 94 individual initiatives currently operating in Victoria. The greatest number of initiatives were identified in the Barwon South West Region, with 36,

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followed by Hume, with 30. It should be noted that the number of initiatives identified across regions could be due to the amount of publicly available information, as well as the different levels of engagement in the survey responses and stakeholder workshop.

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Objectives by regionIncreasing participation in higher education is the number one objective of intervention initiatives in Victorian regions, followed closely by improving attitudes toward education, and retention in school. Each region has a number of initiatives addressing varying objectives, with a generally even spread of objectives sought through each region. There were no initiatives identified that sought to increase retention in VET or higher education in the Grampians region. This could be due to the lower number of initiatives identified in Grampians region overall, or, given the literature review findings in relation to regional student retention compared to metropolitan student retention, this may be an appropriate allocation of limited resources.

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Intervention mechanism by locationThere are a range of interventions utilised across Victoria, and all regions appear to employ each of the intervention mechanisms identified in the literature review. The most common interventions focus on increasing engagement in secondary education and tertiary education opportunities.

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Initiatives by lead organisationCommunity organisations lead the greatest number of initiatives, with 23 identified across all regions. The Victorian Government leads the next highest number of initiatives with ten identified interventions led by the State, although it is noted that DEECD plays a broader role in designing, administering and evaluating programs which contribute to the development of education aspirations at the early childhood and primary school levels.Local government, secondary schools and TAFEs lead fewer initiatives, but it is important to note that they are quite often partner with universities, or are participants in State Government or community organisation-led programs.

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Lead organisation by objectiveObjectives identify what the organisation is striving to achieve through the initiative. There are a large range of organisations delivering interventions to increase aspiration, which (with the exception of local government) have a variety of objectives. Community organisations, state government and universities are responsible for delivering the most initiatives that aim to improve attitudes towards education. Community organisations are focused on improving attitudes to education and increasing retention in schools, closely followed by state government, non-government organisations, federal government and secondary schools. Not understanding the scope and size of these programs (due to the lack of data availability) makes it difficult to assess whether this is an appropriate mix.

Community Organisation: Not-for-Profit Organisation operating locally only e.g. LLENs, neighbourhood centre,

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community centre etc.; Non-Government Organisation (NGO): Not-for-Profit Organisation operating across multiple localities e.g. The Smith Family, MacKillop, Foundation for Young Australians, Hands on Learning, Beacon Foundation.

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