$6m vocational school for special needs students opens at YMCA Bundaberg

A new $6m vocational school at YMCA Bundaberg is a “silver lining” for students who struggle with traditional schooling.

A new $6m vocational school for students with special needs has opened at YMCA Bundaberg.

A new $6m vocational school for students with special needs opened in Bundaberg on Thursday, July 27.

The YMCA Vocational School Bundaberg provides a supportive learning environment and curriculum based on cutting-edge psychological modelling for students unable to thrive in mainstream schooling.

The school delivers “career tasting” courses to help students identify future careers aligned with their passions, along with standard subjects such as mathematics, English and history.

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Classrooms have subdued lighting with couches and tables oriented towards group work, with counsellors, caseworkers and youth workers on hand to supplement the faculty of specialised teachers trained to support students who have experienced trauma or who have other mental health issues.

Classrooms have subdued lighting with couches and tables oriented towards group work.

Head of School Darryl Mulholland said the school is a “silver lining”, offering hope to students unsuited to traditional schooling.

“It‘s an opportunity for young people who haven’t engaged somewhere else in our community to engage in schooling,” Mr Mulholland said.

“We’re offering hope, we’re offering pathways into employment, or further education for the studies. I think it’s one of the many silver linings in the community.”

The school opened in April and has 31 students enrolled, with numbers expected to increase to around 60 in 2024.

One of the current students, 17-year-old Jack Greenwood has ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorder and said he has been thriving thanks to the “hands on” approach.

Student Jack Greenwood said YMCA Vocational School Bundaberg is "an amazing school".

“It’s an amazing school, the teachers are awesome and amazing,” Mr Greenwood said.

“It’s important for me because I have a disorder where I can’t focus properly, and when they’re very hands on and focused with every student I tend to follow along as well. It’s very helpful for people like me.”

The Bundaberg campus is the newest of 10 vocational schools for YMCA Queensland, with an 11th currently under construction in Redlands.

YMCA chief operating officer Will Sambrook said the vocational schools’ status as Special Assistance Schools makes them eligible for federal and state funding which makes their model financially sustainable.

YMCA Chief Operating Officer Will Sambrook said the vocational schools’ status as Special Assistance Schools makes them eligible for federal and state funding which makes their model financially sustainable.

The total cost of building the Bundaberg school was $6m, with $1.4m in funding coming from the federal government and $117,000 from the Queensland government’s External Infrastructure Subsidy Scheme.

“This was a great way to get recurrent funding through the federal and state governments, and we can have a long-term impact and get students for up to six years and really try and make a difference in their lives,” Mr Sambrook said.

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Hinkler MP Keith Pitt, who committed the federal funding for the Bundaberg campus in December 2020, said the school will enable students who struggle in traditional schools to “be anything they want”.

“I think the great thing about regional areas in particular is they do things that work, and we want these kids to be an important part of society, we want them to be able to contribute,” Mr Pitt said.

“ We want them to find their own way and pay their own way and that means being employed and having the skills that they need and they can get them right here at the Y.”

Originally published as $6m vocational school for special needs students opens at YMCA Bundaberg