Ros SPENCE (Yuroke) I rise to congratulate the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council on another successful year in raising awareness about an issue critical to young people in our area and across the state. Over the past seven months the youth council has been hard at work, focusing on youth employment issues. The council engaged with local community leaders and key organisations working with young people who are looking to join the workforce and who are facing challenges in their workplace.

Last week the council held the Yuroke youth employment forum and had a great turnout from the community. Thanks to all those who shared a wealth of knowledge, including Julie and Matt from Ostara Australia employment service; Wendy from the Kangan Institute skills and jobs centre; Danielle from the Young Workers Centre; Hume City Council mayor Geoff Porter, councillor Drew Jessop, CEO Domenic Isola and the youth services and economic development teams; as well as Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Employment, the member for Eltham.

The panellists provided comprehensive information on how to best write résumés and cover letters, the types of skills and qualifications that employers look for and what rights young people have in the workplace. I am sure those who attended found the information and resources incredibly helpful.

A lot of attendees also expressed great interest in the Andrews Labor government’s free TAFE initiative and were eager to start learning and equipping themselves with the skills that will aid their success. To Adam, Alicia, Alyssa, Brianna, Caitlin, Fathia, Gungun, Gursewak, Helena, James, Josh, Marina, Minal, Sidney, Sumeyye, Thomas and Uaita, congratulations once again for putting together a successful forum and thank you for being such active young members of our community.