| ICAN expansion plan announced |
| 22/9/2009 | |
|
The Rann Government’s plan to roll out the highly successful ICAN school retention program across Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith joined with Federal Minister Kate Ellis in July to announce the Australian Government would fund a $30m expansion of the initiative. Dr Lomax-Smith says a three-year roll out schedule has been developed to take the Innovative Community Action Networks (ICAN) to more regions of the State. Current regions: Southern, northern and north-western metropolitan areas and the From 2009-10: Yorke Peninsula, From 2010-11: From 2011-12: Barossa, Mid North, Upper South East, Adelaide Hills and Eastern metropolitan area “Over the next four years, we’ll be expanding ICAN to benefit up to 8000 young South Australians annually,” Dr Lomax-Smith says. “This program helps our State’s most troubled young people and those at risk of dropping out of school to get back into constructive learning or earning. “We know that this initiative works well. Since the beginning of 2005, it has achieved an average 80% success rate in keeping young people in learning or earning. “Considering these students have either dropped out of school, training or work altogether or are on the verge of dropping out, it’s an amazing achievement. “We have many young people who face issues that can impact on their education, including mental illness, caring duties, an unsupportive family, ill health or an aversion to school education. “ICAN provides answers for each individual student by giving communities the power and funding to devise local solutions for local needs. “As part of this expansion, we’ll also be reaching out to students in Years 6 and 7 to provide early intervention and support students as they prepare and transition through to secondary schooling.” The ICAN program expansion is being funded through the Rudd Government’s $1.1b Smarter Schools National Partnership with SA on
|