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Youth Services Directories for the Southern Downs Regional Council area - Please go to student page then resources.
Our Mission
“Supporting successful career pathways for all young people”.
Our organisation’s vision is not about what or how we do business. It is about achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Our vision is our reason for being, why we come to work, why we care, why we enjoy making a difference, why we take business risks, why we work as a team, why we often sacrifice our own time and why we believe in ourselves.
SDIEA is proud of our Vision:
“To partner education and training providers, industry and community to support successful futures for our young people”.
Where we have come from
SDIEA in a not for profit community organisation that was incorporated in 1999. Our initial aim was to provide a service to schools and students by organising, monitoring and building on structured workplace learning in our community. Structured workplace learning is part of Vocational Education and Training in Schools.
Since its first government funding was received in late 1998, the organisation has established a wider focussed service profile across a spectrum of services including alternative education, youth support programs, work experience and structured workplace learning, mentoring, career and transition support and service brokerage.
SDIEA is now an organisation with 7 employees, an extensive service profile and a reputation at local, state and national level for innovation in service design and delivery.
Now, our organisation’s culture is based on quality, innovation, high standards in service provision, and a philosophy that places importance on partnership principles.
SDIEA is experiencing another exciting phase. Some services will continue to be provided and new opportunities for expansion/consolidation will be developed in areas of priority and expertise as indicated in our Strategic Plan.
What we have achieved
SDIEA has a reputation founded on a high standard of client services, service innovation and design, network and partnership development, and program evaluation.
During its 9 year history since incorporation SDIEA has responded to identified needs and gaps in youth service delivery through planned program development. The SDIEA currently offers an integrated and seamless set of programs which include:
- Transitional education and training programs which support and reconnect young people to education, career pathways and their community.
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- Structured workplace learning, work experience
- Youth Support Coordinators which work with schools in Warwick Education District helping young people to remain engaged in learning
- Get Set For Work program which aims to re-engage disengaged young people to education, training or work by providing employability skills based training
- Career and transition support through our Local Community Partnership consortium to 29 schools and potentially 6,400 young people in the Darling Downs statistical sub division region
- One stop shop services to whole of community which supports and connects all community, school and young people to youth service providers and most importantly provides follow up.
- Parent workshops which support parents to provide career and transition advice to their children
- Responded to identified needs through the Warwick Youth at Risk working party to provide or seek further projects as applicable
- Volunteer services, recruiting, training and matching appropriate community Mentors to provide one on one support for young people who would benefit from such a relationship.
We have continued to form partnerships and strategic alliances with key agencies in the government and non government sectors. This is demonstrated by our lead agency role in the Career Advice Australia initiative of the Australian Government. These important partnerships see us our work being delivered throughout the Darling Downs region by Downs Industry Schools Cooperative Dalby, Goondiwindi Training and Technology Centre and Stanthorpe State High School. Our multiple strategies include:
- Participation on management committees, working parties and networks for local education and training, employment and domestic violence projects, facility development, crisis accommodation projects
- Participation in youth week, holiday programs and linking business and industry where appropriate to all our projects
The continuous improvement and scope of our expertise in developing and delivering services and products has resulted in a growing demand from colleague agencies in accessing our knowledge and information. We have successfully developed and delivered customised training to volunteers working in the community sector. In addition, we are regularly called on by state and government departments to either provide stories of our programs or contribute to the development of state and national conference agendas as well as participate in those conferences as part of a panel.