Victoria University (VU) and Melton City Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a commitment to help improve education, employment, and wellbeing outcomes for residents in the City of Melton and Melbourne’s west.
VU’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Adam Shoemaker, and Mayor of the City of Melton, Kathy Majdlik, signed the agreement at an online event this week.
Under the MOU, Council and VU will collaborate on the following commitments, subject to funding and resourcing availability:
- Raising aspiration and improving education attainment levels (such as understanding barriers that impact participation in post-secondary education and training; promoting engagement with VU skills and education programs; promoting engagement with the AVID Schools Program)
- Supporting jobs and economic recovery post-COVID-19 (such as initiatives that support local businesses and organisations to recover post-COVID-19; supporting disproportionately impacted cohorts (for example, youth, women) to access jobs including through new training, reskilling or upskilling opportunities; providing digital literacy and literacy/numeracy programs for the CALD community)
- Building community capacity and social cohesion (such as applied research in health and community services; providing gender equity and/or cultural diversity training in local sports clubs; place-based community building events)
- Supporting the local aboriginal community towards self-determination and educational opportunity (such as understanding educational needs of the Aboriginal community and implementing strategies to address these; engagement in VU RISE, ‘Addressing Aboriginal Disadvantage’ program)
- Identifying future workforce, education, and training needs (such as understanding the education and training needs of new and emerging industries in the City of Melton and identifying programs that support industry capacity building and local job creation, for example, the new Melton Hospital, Western Intermodal Freight Terminal, allied health sector and childcare/early years education; planning for solutions to address education and training barriers that are identified via the research or workforce analysis)
- Joint advocacy opportunities (such as future vocational and tertiary education opportunities)
Mayor Majdlik said the partnership would provide great opportunities for a diverse range of people in and around the City of Melton.
“This is a very important partnership for the future of the City of Melton and one that we’re really proud to be embarking on,” she said.
“Together, Council and Victoria University will work to improve outcomes in employment, education, and community wellbeing for people in the west.
“Everyone in our community should feel that higher education and skills training are not only excellent aspirations, but absolutely achievable.
“With major projects set to create many jobs in the City of Melton in the future, there’s no better time to plan for training and education opportunities. We want to ensure people in the west are ready and able to pursue the careers that best suit them.
“Thank you to Victoria University for this ongoing commitment to our community and their educational pursuits.”
Victoria University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Adam Shoemaker said he was pleased to see VU and Council make these shared education commitments.
“We honour our roots in the west of Melbourne and working collaboratively with our partners, like the City of Melton, to benefit the region and the communities which we serve is a shared commitment.”
“In particular, this MOU enables us to collectively identify and pursue priorities for progressive change in the region and contribute to it realising its full potential.
“This commitment aligns with VU’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2028 which has a strong focus on partnering with principle and protecting country. The strategy is underpinned by the VU values – to be Always Welcoming, Ethical, Shaping the Future, Together,” Professor Shoemaker said.
