By KATH GANNAWAY
A GROUP of Healesville High School students have achieved a Certificate 2 Land Management and Conservation qualification as part of an innovative program at Woori Yallock Farm School.
Jason Brooks, Bradley Coon, Jessie Larson, Laine Jones, Jack Annand and Harley Coleman were presented with their certificates on Thursday by Gemma Middleton of Victorian Group Training.
WYFS teacher Peter Preuss, who co-ordinated the program, said the students attended one day a week to come away with work-ready skills and, importantly, a recognised qualification.
The project involved Greening Australia and Victorian Group Training with input from other organisations such as Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Shop, Parks Victoria, Westernport Catchment Management Authority and Woori Yallock Township Action Group to provide the necessary components of the course.
Mr Preuss said Healesville High had a long association with the school with students attending for a term.
The commitment to one-day-a-week for an entire year was a departure, but it also provided the opportunity for the boys to engage in the certificate course.
“These boys had already been doing some work in the school garden, and came with a fair bit of knowledge of OH&S and some real skills,” Mr Preuss said.
“This is not an easy course, for these boys to get this certificate means they are skilled and knowledgeable enough to actually get work in this field.
“I could give any one of these boys a reference to an employer,” he said.
Danny Reddan from Greening Australia who provided the on-ground training praised the Farm School and, in particular, Mr Preuss’s role.
“The biggest confidence for me is having Peter at the helm with his incredible knowledge both as a teacher and the environment, along with having this great school, has been fantastic,” he said.
Healesville High School’s director Student Wellbeing and Engagement, Lyn Scotchmoor, said the program had been their most successful with the Farm School.
“If we hadn’t done this program this year, I think some of these guys might have dropped out,” she said.
Laine Jones spoke on behalf of the students, saying they had learned skills they would never learn at high school and which will be useful in their future careers.
“This is good for kids who are more hands-on and don’t learn so well in the classroom,” he said.
“I would like to see it continued to give other students, and other schools, a shot at what we have done here,” he said.
