It's an awesome outcome. Finishing your TAFE course in December and getting employment in January. It's something most TAFE students would hope for.
And this is exactly what half of Byron Youth Services (BYS) students achieved after completing their Cert II in Hospitality last month.
Four of the eight students have now been employed by local business in the Byron Bay area, something that BYS manager, Teeya Blatt, describes as "an astounding success".
"It attests to the great support given students by BYS co-ordinator Lindy Lou Smith and TAFE teachers Andrew Woodburn and Dan Lange," Ms Blatt said to theĀ Byron Shire News.
It also demonstrates the willingness of local businesses to support local youth. "We hope that will be a growing trend," said Ms Smith.
The objective of the course, which runs three days a week over 12 weeks, is to provide local young people who are either unemployed or studying with training that will lead to employment. One day each week is spent at the Wollongbar TAFE Campus. The course also includes a 40-hour work placement.