Wednesday, 2 August 2023

This is IT

Belinda WILSON (Narre Warren North) (09:53): What an act to follow. Recently I attended a very special event at Hallam Secondary College with my friend the member for Cranbourne, the City of Casey and the South East Local Learning and Employment Network to celebrate an incredible milestone in the organisation’s This is IT program. This is IT provides more than 800 repurposed laptops to students living in the City of Casey, with the aim to tackle financial barriers leading to disengagement. This is IT has identified the south-east, including the City of Casey as a target area where a high percentage of students identify financial distress as a reason for disengagement. The program is working towards pathways to re-engagement and sees access to technology as a vital factor in this process.

The program also has a second objective of reducing e-waste levels in the community, putting an emphasis on re-using and repurposing technology that would otherwise go unused. It is an incredible initiative that addresses disadvantage by equalising education whilst reducing e-waste levels. It was great to speak to principal Simon Sherlock from Hallam Secondary College and principal Chad Ambrose from Gleneagles Secondary College about the difference this program has made to the students in their schools, providing greater accessibility to the tools that create better education outcomes. It was an honour to be part of this great event, and I really look forward to continuing to work on this program to tackle student disengagement in my community.