Sometimes people need extra support and assistance to get back on the track to success.

The Victorian Government’s Reconnect program at Chisholm Institute is designed to support the significant number of Victorians experiencing multiple barriers to engaging in education and training.

The Reconnect program at Chisholm Institute delivers on the Victorian Government’s commitment to understanding and addressing the needs of disengaged and disadvantaged learners with a background of low levels of educational achievement.

How we work

The Reconnect program provides one on one support to assist high-needs learners in the local community to start and stay in education successfully. Reconnect consists of four key elements, which ensures participants receive the supports, guidance, and training required to successfully transition into further study or employment.

The four elements of the program are as follows:

Engagement: Reconnect staff engage with service and non-service connected participants via outreach activities, by developing and maintaining place-based partnerships and connections with organisations and the community to facilitate referral pathways into the program.

Learner wrap-around supports: Reconnect staff work with each participant to identify their support needs including pathway planning, referrals to community support services through partnerships and connections, identifying personal interests and identifying opportunities for community participation.

Education, training and employment: Reconnect staff work to identify the education, training and employment needs of participants by presenting a range of education options including, pre-accredited vocational education and training, accredited vocational education and training, or non-accredited training.

Pathways: Reconnect staff support participants to transition into an appropriate pathway out of the Reconnect program into education, training, employment or further service provision at a partner organisation.

Eligibility

The Reconnect program supports eligible participants from the following five groups who are experiencing disadvantage and would like assistance to re-engage back into education and employment:

Young people: Australian citizen or resident aged between 17- 19 years: not engaged in education or training for six months or more (less than eight hours per week).

Mature participants: Australian citizen or resident aged between 20-64 years: Unemployed for six months or more (less than eight hours per week) and not engaged in education or training for six months or more (less than 8 hours per week).

Young people impacted by justice system: Young Australian citizen or residents (17 to 24 years of age) who have been, or are currently on, Youth Justice Orders.

Asylum seekers: Individuals or Dependants of individuals who meet the following criteria:

  • Hold any humanitarian, protection of refugee visa in Australia; or
  • Have applied for a humanitarian, protection or refugee visa and hold a bridging visa for this purpose; or
  • Have made an application under s. 417 or s.48b of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) which is yet to be determined and hold a bridging visa.
  • Aged between 17-64 Years

Asylum seekers must have a visa with study rights, and work rights are required for programs that include work placement.

Out-of-home care: Australian citizen or resident aged between 17-64: A person that has a current or previous experience with Child Protection.

Where we deliver

The Reconnect program at Chisholm Institute will deliver over the following Local Government Areas:

  • Bass Coast
  • Cardinia
  • Casey
  • Frankston
  • Greater Dandenong
  • Mornington Peninsula.

We regret to inform you that the Reconnect Program at Chisholm has reached its capacity and is unable to accept additional participants at this time. Applications will reopen for the year 2025.

If you have any questions please contact the Reconnect team at reconnect@chisholm.edu.au for assistance.