US group seeking data about job placement after PDC

[Kelda Miller]

Hi!

I'm part of a group that is applying for a
grant from Washington State to do Permaculture Design Courses for
unemployed/underemployed, in hopes of sharing with them basics of Green
Skills for re-entering the job market.

As far as we've found, there's no other group in the US that has received
a grant quite like this. And we're lacking some data that would help us
secure the grant. It looks like according to the Australian TAFE system, a
PDC for unemployed is closest to your Certificate I. That you guys know of, has
anyone tracked the efficacy of job placement after a Certificate I
training? Or is there any tracking/surveys of job placement for any of the
APT? We've been looking for this info for about a week and would need it
by Thursday night our time, so we can present it to the grantors by
Friday.

Below is what I found from Permaculture Australia website. I've contacted
but haven't heard anything yet.
Kelda

Certificate I in Permaculture

– provides basic skills training in permaculture under full
supervision. Suited to secondary school students, those who are unemployed
or working on labour market/community development programs including
indigenous persons.

[matto]

you could try Robyn Francis at permaculture.com.au
She has set up the APT for Permaculture, she might be able to help.

I think the PDC is a stand alone concept, and it takes a driven individual to work straight off the bat with a PDC. Or someone who has been skilled and moves into permaculture. The majority of total newbies will need to take on a year or two of intensive work and study, alongside practitioners to become familiar with soil, design, application, etc.
Depends what you want to do with permaculture....design, teach, ethical business?

[Kelda Miller]

Absolutely.
I think Robyn was the first person I emailed about this, haven't heard anything back. Started calling yesterday and will do so later today once Australia is awake. If you have any tips how to get ahold of Robyn....


And yes about the second part too. We have a lot of people here who are trained in a career that now lacks jobs (Construction being the biggest one). If someone who already knows how to build houses gets a good grounding in green building, for example, that will open up many doors. Of course we can't teach all the details of green building in a PDC, but basic concepts and local resources can be super helpful and get someone started on that path.

[purplepear]

The best "angle" for employment after the PDC is the self reliance it allows and the reduced need for support in food and more - not always easy to convince authorities though

[matto]

Hey Kelda,
Robyn has been in Taiwan but is now back in Australia.
Maybe try Tim Winton if that fails.
All the best.