The company’s support for Beacon programs has occurred in all states, through a wide variety of activities. These included:
Recruiting a student from Victorian No Dole school Westernport Secondary College as a diesel mechanic apprentice.
Hosting girls from Triabunna High School as part of a "Girl’s Day Out".
Providing sponsorship and presenter support for Beacon’s Queensland state conference.
Providing weekly mentoring to students in Beacon schools in Perth, Western Australia.
Exploring ways of working with the Northern Territory’s Palmerston High School, and its Palmerston Futures Program.
Inviting students from Hunter Valley high schools to its "Boots On" open days in August.
Involvement with charter-signing activites at South Australia’s Smithfield Plains High School.
Beacon’s executive director Scott Harris said that Komatsu’s support for the foundation was an important element of its success in helping young Australians find jobs and stay off the dole.
"2007 has been a great year for Beacon thanks to the on-going support of Komatsu," he said.
"Beacon’s success last year in guiding young people onto a positive pathway could not have been achieved without the financial and in-kind support of Komatsu – and we look forward to continuing our relationship in 2008.
"For example, in 2008 Komatsu is working with Beacon to provide information to schools regarding literacy and comprehension skill levels required for different jobs – such as developing young people’s skills in form completion."
There are now 85 schools involved in Beacon’s No Dole program across Australia.
In the last quarter Beacon’s taken on three new schools in far North Queensland; Western Cape College, Northern Peninsula Area College and Tagai College.
All schools have now completed their Charter Signings and are currently undertaking a Best Practice survey. The schools will then be given a ranking, ranging from best performing school through to the lowest performing school.
The Best Practice survey allows any program "gaps" to be identified and helps with the No Dole Annual Planning for 2008.
Another successful Beacon undertaking is the ‘Something Concrete’ Project in the West Australian town of Kununurra, which has taken another step towards sustainability with the construction of a precasting factory.
Employees and trainees of the project are now producing precast concrete panels for use in houses, bridges and other precast concrete products for road transport and erection throughout the East Kimberley.
And Beacon’s innovative housing and employment Real Jobs project, which began in early 2006, employs nine young Indigenous men from the local community to build precast concrete houses.
The team has already built four precast houses in the local area and now has an order for 15 more from the WA state government, as well as an order from the Shire of Wyndham and East Kimberley for two small bridges.