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On the Road to Opportunities and Independence

An innovative new driving program will help disadvantaged young people get behind the wheel and on the road to greater opportunities, with support from Mineral Resources as Founding Partner.

Following a successful 12-month trial, we’re proud to support McGovern Foundation’s Wanderer Driver Mentor Program with $900,000 in funding over the next three years. This will help Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other disadvantaged youth in Western Australia obtain and maintain their driver’s licence.

A lack of a driver’s licence can be a barrier to employment, particularly in regional and remote parts of WA, however obtaining a driver’s licence requires at least 50 hours of supervised driving experience. This is difficult to impossible for those without access to a vehicle or the means to pay for expensive driving lessons. The Wanderer Program’s trained Aboriginal mentors work with participants to help them access safe vehicles, obtain their learner’s permit and complete their required supervised driving hours.

A meaningful relationship between mentors and participants also helps the McGovern Foundation to understand other barriers to employment, so that tailored support can be offered with the relevant agencies.

A 12-month pilot program has seen promising outcomes. Thirty-six participants obtained their provisional driver’s licence and 78% are now employed.

Jen and Darron are two Wanderer Program success stories. Jen, a 23-year-old mother of two, commenced her learner’s permit journey when she was 17 but had no logbook hours recorded when she joined the program in August.  Jen recently passed her driving assessment to the delight of her family.

Darron, 23, first obtained his learner’s permit at the age of 16. The Wanderer program helped Darron build up his logbook hours and successfully get his driver’s licence, which has opened up new opportunities in the workforce and changed his outlook on life.

We’re excited to help the McGovern Foundation grow the Wanderer Program and look forward to seeing more Wanderer success stories.