State MP and Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Nick Wakeling at MDLC with manager Janet Claringbold, Board members and Education Co-ordinator, Carlie Case.

You may have seen in the local paper the good news about a significant grant from the Victorian Government for Mountain District Learning Centre.

This grant of around $100,000 is for MDLC to establish a ‘community of practice’ with other nearby learning centres who are delivering a program to youth.

More and more organisations like MDLC are catering for young people who are struggling in the mainstream education system. Partner organisations include The Pines Learning Centre, Healesville Living and Learning Centre, Upper Yarra Community House, The Avenue at Eley and Morrisons Campus.

Funding will allow these organisations to come together and share good ideas and improve methods to better help the young people who have significant challenges in achieving positive outcomes in pursuit of an education. Being outside the school system
means we don’t have access to all the resources that schools have. The funding will cover professional development for tutors; it will assist centres to meet compliance requirements and will help to raise the profile of participating centres and the valuable role they have in the community.