Plates and Paddocks: a new program providing opportunity for young people in Corangamite

03 Jun Plates and Paddocks: a new program providing opportunity for young people in Corangamite

Camperdown & District Community House and local chef Jenna Bateman have designed a new free comprehensive hospitality training program for Corangamite residents aged between 15-25 years.

With support from South West Community Foundation and funding from Gardiner Foundation, we have successfully delivered the first of, we hope many, sessions of this new program in Skipton on Saturday 30^th and Sunday 31^st May 2026.

“Plates and Paddocks” is a program with three parts: provision of formal safe food handling training (delivered by Short Courses Australia), practical experience and training in hospitality, catering, food preparation, food service and event management. Every participant receives formal accredited training certification, certificate of completion and professional references from head chef and Community House. The holistic and practical experience, from theory to practice, is something this program uniquely provides, with hopes to support the participants in obtaining vocational opportunities and skills, building confidence and exploring the local food service industry and career opportunities that exist in the region.

Another aspect that we are very proud to have included is free transport, both to and from the program each day. This drastically reduces barriers to access and in this case led to participants registering from all corners of Corangamite Shire – something that would not have been possible without this transport option.

We had young people ranging in ages from 14 to 18 years and from Port Campbell, Timboon, Terang, Cobden, Camperdown and Skipton. The group worked incredibly well together and were thoroughly engaged in the program. Feedback we have received so far is that the transport option made it possible for them to participate, that they learned new skills, made new friends and enjoyed the experience. Having the accredited course as a part of the program is a highlight for many of those who participated, and they anticipate that they will gain more opportunities in the hospitality and food industries from their experience of the Plates and Paddocks program and the formal training included.

The whole experience culminated in hosting a community meal that was provided free for the Skipton community. We had originally designed the program to be providing the meal to local primary producers, however we found that engagement was very low with this demographic, so it was opened up to the broader Skipton community. We had a lovely group of people come along to the free three course roast lunch on Sunday 31^st May to conclude the program, with a wonderful atmosphere. Everyone enjoyed the meal and we had great feedback which was fantastic support to the participants of the program. It would have been great to have more people attending, as this would have enhanced the experience for the young people and rewarded their efforts, but it was still a wonderful event.

We anticipate that we will host at least one other Plates and Paddock program this year, if not more. We will host in other areas in Corangamite – watch this space!

A huge thank you to those in the Skipton community who supported this initiative, especially Helen and Tash from the Skipton Community Foodbank and Stan at the Op Shop and to everyone who came along on Sunday to support and celebrate the young people involved. Thank you to Arron Graham-Exelby, Youth Officer at Corangamite Shire and a very special thanks to the Skipton Mechanics Institute Community Hall, what a wonderful venue!