Licence to work
A five-hour round trip on public transport to get to school and then back home would leave anyone feeling tired and run down.
Can you imagine how exhausting it would be for a pregnant student trying to complete year twelve without family support?
That was the struggle Alex Scott faced. Rising at 5.30am each day while pregnant with her first child, she caught two buses from her home in Morphett Vale to Seaton High School.
Licence to Work, a partnership between RAA and Western Futures helping high school students get their provisional licence, changed Alex‘s life.
“I was homeless when I joined the (Licence to Work) program,” she said.
“I had no home, no family and my parents have never been in my life, so I had no one to teach me to drive.
“I didn’t have the funds to pay for driving lessons at $100 an hour – not having my licence was the biggest hurdle.”
The Licence to Work program helps students complete the mandatory 75 hours of supervised driving with a fully qualified instructor.
Once Alex got her driver’s licence, she landed her dream job as an employment consultant – a field she wants to work in for the rest of her life.
“I wouldn’t have ever got my job if I didn’t have my licence as part of my role is to transport clients to and from appointments and interviews,” she says.
Now I can help people because I can drive – it makes me feel good. Having a driver’s licence has completely changed my life.”
Seaton High School Senior Youth Worker Ashleigh Brauer works with students who are disengaged from mainstream school and helps guide them towards meaningful employment or further education.
“Getting your licence is something most people take for granted,” Ms Brauer says.
“Not having access to a car or supervised driver can be massive barriers for young people. Not having the funds to sit the test or even pay for petrol are big obstacles too.”
