Geared 4 Work is a driver mentor program for learners up to the age of 25 who are registered with Workskil Australia’s Transition to Work or Flexible Learning Options programs.
Geared 4 Work, a free program by Workskil Australia, supports young job seekers by alleviating financial constraints and providing supervised driving hours to help you obtain your driver's licence, enhancing flexibility and independence. They can pair you with a driver mentor/supervisor to help you gain enough experience to fulfil your requirements and become a safer and more confident driver.
Eligibility
Geared 4 Work is available to participants in their Flexible Learning Options or Workforce Australia - Transition to Work programs.
Their locations include:
- Northern Adelaide
- Western Adelaide
- Whyalla
- Port Lincoln
- Port Augusta
- Port Pirie
- Kadina
To learn more about Geared 4 Work, and how to register, you can call Workskil or submit an enquiry via the online form.
Compass Catholic Community is a fee-free school in Davoren Park, South Australia, offering flexible education for students aged 17 to 24. The school provides pathways such as SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) and VET (Vocational Education and Training), focusing on personalised learning and holistic well-being support.
With a nurturing environment, Compass helps students re-engage with education, especially those facing barriers in traditional schooling. By collaborating with local partners, the school offers real-world learning experiences, helping students develop skills for future education or employment opportunities.
Drive Me is a Driving Experience Mentoring Program to help you get the required 75 hours for your P’s.
The goal of this program is to overcome your challenges for getting your P’s, increase opportunities to learn about employment or traineeships, and acquire necessary skills and develop good driving behaviour.
- You will participate in a four-hour road safety program, before driving practice commences.
- They will provide you with a Trained Driving Mentor (Responsible Supervising Driver)
- Your Driving Mentor may be a volunteer with Youth Options
- They will provide the use of their modified car to undertake driving practice
Please Note: To start the Drive Me Program a minimum of 4 lessons and must be completed with a professional driving instructor and the final driving test must be successfully completed with a professional driving instructor (depending on your funding this cost may not be included in the Drive Me Program).
L2P - Drive With Me is designed to create safer drivers.
They believe in helping educate and give confidence to the driving community, and by doing this they are enabling learner drivers of all ages to get their Driver Licence – no matter your personal situation or background.
What they do
- They provide the mentors and vehicles for any student willing to commit to the hours necessary, a twenty hour course performed over ten lessons. This covers the basics of driving to those with only the minimum hours, all the way to night driving for the more experienced participant.
- Participants can select their own mentor from a list of volunteers.
- They seek to provide education on the vehicles themselves, basic maintenance such as checking the engine or changing a tyre.
- They want to make sure that you are not left behind in learning a crucial life skill, one that enables you to move forward into the world on equal footing regardless of your background.
- Their program will not only increase confidence, but the employability of their learners.
What they do not do
- They are not driving instructors. Their mentors provide support as volunteers and log the hours driven.
- You need a minimum of one official driving lesson with an instructor or 10 hours supervised mentoring, before they will have you in their cars.
- They are unable to sign off on the competencies in the back of the log book.
- They can attend your probationary licence test with you in their vehicle.
Fees and additional information
- Sessions are paid in advance through the website
- You will be contacted by their manager about available times. You cannot book your own times, as they work around their volunteer mentors.
- Cancellation affects everyone. 24hr minimum to have your session credited back to your account.
- Privacy is important. Do not share any personal details with your mentor and you will never be picked up or dropped at your private address.
MYSA’s Driving YOUth Learner Driver Program is about giving young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds the opportunity to learn to drive.
MYSA believes that having a driver’s licence offers young people enhanced employment opportunities, access to education and employment programs, the ability to access appointments, community services, community connectedness and independent living skills.
It is open to young people under the age of 35 from refugee or migrant backgrounds. Priority for the program is given to young people classified as 'Stream C' by Jobactive providers and those linked with disability Employment Services (DES) providers, who have the capacity to drive, though each application will be assessed individually.
Applicants will have already obtained their South Australia Learners Permit.
Outline of the Program
Participants will receive a maximum of 10, 45 minute to 1 hour lessons with a qualified Motor Driving Instructor (MDI). After participants have been signed off as competent by the MDI, they will be matched with a fully licensed MYSA Driving YOUth Program volunteer.
Using the specifically modified MYSA vehicle, the learners and their volunteer supervisors will go driving to achieve the required number of hours of driving practice. Learner drivers under 25 years of age must hold their licence for a minimum of 12 months before progressing to the P1 licence.
MYSA pays for all expenses including; MD lessons, final driving assessment, and 12 month P1 licence. All they ask is that the learner pay a small fee of $12 for each driving session.
Participants who complete the MYSA Driving YOUth to Employment will achieve:
- Provisional (P1) South Australia driving licence
- Experience and confidence driving a vehicle.
Access to free devices for year 7 and year 10 students of participating schools
You can get access to a free device (such as a laptop or tablet) to support your child’s studies if:
- you’re on School Card and
- your child is in year 7 or 10 of a school that takes part in the department’s School Device Program.
When your child completes their schooling you need to return the device to the school, unless the school allows you to keep it.
There are currently 226 schools in the program. Ask your school if they’re taking part this year.
The program will be expanded to all secondary school students on School Card by 2026.
If you're a low-income family with children attending government schools, you can get financial help with school fees, materials and services charges through the School Card scheme. You may also be able to get access to a free device if your child is in year 7 or 10 and their school takes part in the department's School Device Program.
Parents should speak directly to their school about financial help.
School Card is available to:
- families with children aged four years and over who attend a school full-time
- independent full-time students studying year 10, 11 or 12
- adult re-entry students who are completing their SACE.
The income limits are for applications lodged in 2024 - based on your family's gross income in 2022-23.
To qualify for a School Card, your family's gross income must be below a certain limit. This limit depends on how many dependent children you have and whether your child attends a government, independent, or Catholic school.
You will need to provide proof of income – such as pay slips or Centrelink information.
For further information on how to apply, and income limits, access the SA Government website here.
The Sports Voucher program provides a discount of up to $100 on sport, dance, learn to swim or scouts/guides fees for children living in South Australia in Reception to Year 9, each calendar year. The aim is to increase the number of children participating in physical activity by helping to reduce cost as a barrier.
From 1 January 2025, the program will double to 2 x $100 vouchers and for the first time, include music lessons as an eligible activity.
All 2024 voucher claims must be submitted this calendar year (by 31 December 2024). Extensions will not be granted.
Use the Find a Provider tool on the Sports Vouchers website to search for a registered provider in your area or speak directly with the organisation you are registering your child with.