Green Job Pathways: Moving Feast partners and STREAT begin training young people in urban horticulture

As the Moving Feast collective works together on the wicked problems buried within the food system, we are also providing ‘learning to earning’ programs for young people who need a hand to find and keep work. 

Disrupted education, social isolation, trauma/family violence, contact with the justice system, precarious accommodation and limited income and social support makes it hard to pursue a healthy and independent life. Without previous employment experience, suitable housing, mental health support, work-readiness skills, or formal training and qualifications, it’s incredibly hard for a young person to get and keep a job. And without a job, it’s hard to live and make positive changes.

Green Job Pathways provides work-readiness opportunities for 16–24-year-olds who face a range of complex barriers to employment. This exciting new horticulture program offers young people the chance to learn new skills, get hands-on work experience with experienced horticulturalists, TAFE, life skills and wrap-around support from STREAT’s dedicated allied health team. The individually-tailored program of work experience itself takes place at STREAT as well the inner-city farms and gardens of our partners CERES, Melbourne Farmers Markets, Collingwood Children’s Farm and Cultivating Community.

We asked one of the trainees how what they thought of the horticulture program so far, and they said: “For the first time in four years, it feels like things are going to get better."

We’re already seeing positive outcomes for the trainees, and our teams who are facilitating the work experience are enjoying sharing their knowledge and passion for their work. One Green Job Pathways horticulturalist said: 

“Even while focusing on the farming work to be done, our team are going out of their way to foster a safe, fun and comfortable environment. This is important so trainees can find their feet, learn how to work in this industry and cultivate a passion for nature. We know this works when we see the trainees move from apprehension to confidence, while learning new skills. To hear a trainee, who has left school early and can’t find or keep work, say that ‘time flies when you are having fun at work’ makes this job so worthwhile for our team. Or, to discover that a trainee has begun to grow vegetables and herbs at home, or get their own chickens is joyful. Watching trainees gain invaluable work-readiness skills while falling in love with nature at the same time is what this is all about!” 

Green Job Pathways has been in the making for years, and we’re so excited to see our Moving Feast partner farms and gardens open to young people. The pilot scheme in horticulture is now underway with trainees completing the 8-week Intro to Work program, learning side-by-side with qualified horticulturalists as they do their jobs, supported holistically by STREAT’s allied health Youth Programs support team. 

Then in February 2022, we’ll kick off with the first ever 6-month horticulture Ready to Work, and Paid to Work schemes. These mirror STREAT’s well-tested 12-month hospitality programs. On average, young people will gain over 1,200 hours of support, training and employment across their 12-month journey into the food system. 

As preparations for this launch are underway, here’s a look at what the training will look like across our key partner sites CERES, Melbourne Farmers Markets, Cultivating Community and Collingwood Children’s Farm.