Social Inclusion secondment
Hawke Research Institute member Dr Tom Stehlik has been awarded the position of Social Inclusion Research Fellow at the Social Inclusion Unit, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, where he will lead action research projects as part of initiatives addressing school retention. The secondment has been developed as part of a memorandum of understanding between the Social Inclusion Unit and the Hawke Research Institute.
Dr Stehlik’s research forms part of “Making the Connections”, the State Government-backed $28.4 million School Retention Action Plan, which was developed to improve school retention rates in South Australia. The four-year strategy will establish programs that support children and young people to complete school to Year 12 or the vocational equivalent, and to find alternative and flexible ways for young people to engage in learning.
For Dr Stehlik the research fellowship presents an opportunity to
contribute to further understanding of the factors that engage young people
in education as well as the ways in which the Social Inclusion Initiative is
encouraging collaboration between schools, local communities and government
agencies to address the issue of school retention.