The McGowan Government has committed $4.9 million to help disadvantaged learner drivers, particularly those living in regional Western Australia, get their driver's licence.
At the recent Skills Summit, many industry representatives raised this as a barrier for many young people looking for employment.
The pilot program will run for 12 months and will work to identify barriers that young people face, while working on a range of initiatives to provide support.
The potential initiatives include providing a professional instructor when an area doesn't already have one, and working with not-for-profit groups and existing driving instructors to increase the amount of training they can provide.
The State Government will work closely with local stakeholders to implement initiatives to address local issues including grants for driving instructors to purchase suitable vehicles, and partnering with not-for-profit organisations to expand currently successful supervised driving programs.
The Pilot Program will last for one year, with the aim of sustaining those initiatives that are most effective, with the Department of Transport assessing the success of the program and reporting back on which initiatives should be maintained.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"At our Skills Summit a few weeks ago, we discussed a number of measures to assist Western Australians to get jobs.
"We want to do everything possible to make sure our kids have the best chance of being employed, especially in regional and remote WA.
"One of the major hurdles, especially in remote WA, is access to driving instructors and driving lessons.
"That's why we have announced $4.9 million for a pilot program to help disadvantaged 16-24-year-old learner drivers."
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
"This pilot program will help identify barriers that young people face, while working on a range of initiatives to provide support to help them be able to get a driver's licence.
"We will work with the local community and stakeholders to address these issues and find targeted solutions."
