Jobfind RJCP is working with local partners in Kowanyama to offer meaningful employment to local participants. Seven local Jobfind RJCP participants are taking on the roles of School Attendance Officers (SAO) at Kowanyama State School, as part of the Federal Government’s Remote Schools Attendance Strategy (RSAS).
Jobfind, in partnership with the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, hosted a barbeque on the 4th April to celebrate the launch of the RSAS in Kowanyama. Students and parents were introduced to the newly appointed SAOs for the first time at this event, held on the last day of term one, also celebrating the Kowanyama State School’s annual Cross Country Day.
Above (right to left): Jobfind’s Cameron Josiah and Thomas Hudson, and Michael Yam from Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council cooking the bbq.
The Officers will assist by visiting houses every morning, helping parents get their children ready for school, making sure children head off to school and tracking absentees. The SAOs will also encourage parents and carers to take part in after school sessions and mentoring, which promote the importance of regular school attendance, and provide participants with the tools to motivate children to go to school.
RSAS is an initiative of the Federal Government, led by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, to lift school attendance levels in remote communities like Kowanyama over the next two years. The program aims to close the gap between remote and mainstream school attendance, ensuring students in remote communities get the education they require, improving their employment prospects in the future.
