Regional school leads the way with innovative learner driver program
02 Apr 2019
Wongutha Christian Aboriginal Parent-directed School is leading the way with innovative road safety initiatives for its pre-driver program, Keys For Life.
Keys For Life, a pre-driver program offered by the School Drug Education and Road Aware (SDERA) program, is run in participating schools and agencies for students over 15 years of age.
Wongutha CAPS sits on farmland 24 kilometres north-east of Esperance and school staff recognise the regional challenges of learning about safer driving and getting a driver’s licence.
The school for Year 11 and 12 students now owns two dual control vehicles for practical driving experience and boasts two accredited driving instructors, with a third teacher nearly qualified.
The vehicles have been purchased with funding from the Lindsay Cozens Aboriginal Education Trust, local Rotary clubs and the generous support of a local dealership.
School teacher and driving instructor with Wongutha CAPS, Andrew Waters said the school community is often thinking outside the box to make sure road safety is the priority for these young drivers.
“Students find it hard to get through the paperwork needed for their L plates, and struggle to accrue 50 hours of supervised driving at home which makes getting their driver’s licence very difficult,” he said.
“They come to the school with practical bush driving skills which take considerable refining to pass a practical driving assessment.
“Doors open with employment opportunities once a young person has their licence, particularly in regional and remote areas of WA, and Keys for Life is a vital part of that process for our students.
“We started Keys for Life in 2007 and since then many of our students have said it’s one of the big reasons for coming to Wongutha CAPS, so this program has been a real drawcard.”
“Around 60 per cent of my work time is dedicated to supervising learner drivers and no one ever complains about leaving class to have a driving lesson! It is so rewarding for me to see the students driving and their self-esteem growing.”
Zianna Gordon from Looma, in the Kimberley, recently got her licence through the Keys for Life program.
“For me it’s really great to have a driver’s licence. When I finish school it will help me get a job. Maybe a job with a mining company or with the Government like the Ranger program,” she said.
SDERA Regional Consultant, Jill Fitzpatrick congratulated the school for embracing the Keys for Life program and ensuring around 80 per cent of its students (who stay a term or longer) gained their learner’s permit.
“Young people are over-represented in road crash statistics each year, so preparing them for safer driving is an important part of our work,” she said.
“You don’t have to be an accredited driving instructor to facilitate the course, but you do need to be a registered WA teacher or have a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.”
If your school or agency wants to be part of the program, visit Keys for Life or email SDERA for more information.
Wongutha CAPS is an inter-denominational Christian Boarding and Farm School founded in 1990. It is vocationally oriented for Aboriginal students offering a variety of VET courses.