Brimbank Lifelong

Learning Strategy

2024-2029

– building better learning

outcomes for all

Brimbank City Council respectfully acknowledges and

recognises the Wurundjeri and Bunurong Peoples, as the

first story tellers and holders of ancestral knowledge in

Brimbank, who have passed on their learning through

generations. As the Traditional Custodians of the land on

we which we learn, we pay respects to their Elders, past,

present and future.

02

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

Brimbank Lifelong Learning Vision

Brimbank City Council’s Lifelong Learning Strategy

2024-2029 will encourage and support residents

to join in learning over their lifetime. The Lifelong

Learning Strategy is a long-term guide for Council

and its partners, aimed at improving the social and

economic outcomes of individuals and the community.

Council will work with partner organisations and

community members to:

• create new approaches and partnerships

• develop and promote different pathways to

learning

• promote better learning results throughout

the municipality.

Yearly implementation plans will support the

aims and objectives of the strategy. Every life

stage will be included in these plans so that

no one is left behind. Yearly planning will allow

Council to be flexible so that it can respond to

changes in the community, current trends, and

community needs and expectations.

David Atchoarena

, Director (2018–2023) of the

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

03

What is lifelong learning

and lifewide learning?

Learning is everywhere – learning takes place

in many places outside the classroom - in your

garden, when socialising with friends, in your

workplace or at your local community centre or

library. Learning supports the whole person, by

helping us to build better relationships, improve

our health and wellbeing, and helps us to get a job

and manage our finances.

Adult Learners Australia confirms this through the

following definitions:

recognises that learning

occurs continuously throughout life. It helps

people deal with new challenges and respond

to ever-changing cultural, social and economic

circumstances by developing their skills,

knowledge and capacity to think critically.

1

recognises that learning can occur

simultaneously in all learning contexts (home,

community, workplaces and institutions) and different

learning settings (formal, non-formal and informal).

2

Lifelong and lifewide learning provides a

framework that supports people to:

• reach their potential

• better anticipate transitions

• self-manage their health and wellbeing.

Resilient and inclusive communities are nourished

by a culture of lifelong learning, which enables

them to live more productively in a diverse,

multicultural society; enjoy the full benefits

of citizenship and solve complex social and

economic problems.

3

1 Adult Learning Australia website

https://ala.asn.au/our-partners/policy/

2 ibid 3 Ibid

04

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

Purpose and

Council role

The purpose of the Brimbank Lifelong Learning

Strategy 2024-2029 is to guide Council’s actions to

improve learning outcomes in Brimbank.

To support Brimbank community members of all

ages to have the skills, knowledge and confidence

to pursue opportunities for economic and social

connection.

Council will:

•

with community, local services, and the

education sector, both formal and informal, to open

up opportunities and benefits

•

the community of opportunities,

programs, services and learning initiatives available

•

and solutions with

community members to meet community needs and

expectations

•

for investment to improve learning

accessand opportunities

•

a wide range of low or no cost learning

programs and opportunities

•

the progress of learning and achievement

to back to the community

Gender Equality

Council is strongly committed to achieving gender

equality and work towards this by promoting gender

equality in learning for everyone. Learning and

education leads to better opportunities, more people

in education, and jobs that pay more. In general,

women earn less than men over their lifetime. The

Brimbank Lifelong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

is a long term approach to removing barriers and

improving education levels, including the gender pay

gap and inequality in the workplace.

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

05

Brimbank City Council’s Vision

By 2040, the Brimbank community will be healthy

and safe and we will be united through a sense of

belonging and pride.

Our City will be inclusive, resilient, innovative and

vibrant and our people will share equally in the

City’s prosperity and opportunity.

The environment will be protected and enhanced

and Brimbank’s diverse neighborhood and housing

will offer something for everyone.

Opportunity and Prosperity - A future focused,

transforming city where all have opportunities

to learn and earn – a prosperous place for all.

06

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

Housing

34.4%

Brimbank

31%

Victoria

25.3%

Brimbank

27.4%

Victoria

31.6%

Brimbank

34.6%

Victoria

1.6%

Brimbank

1.7%

Victoria

6.9%

Brimbank

5.2%

Victoria

Highest level of education obtained

19.8%

Brimbank

29.2%

Victoria

8.2%

Brimbank

9.8%

Victoria

14.6%

Brimbank

16.7%

Victoria

48.3%

Brimbank

36.5%

Victoria

Our Community Snapshot

14,975

people or

7.7%

of the population

in City of Brimbank

reported needing help

in their day-to-day lives

due to disability, with

5.9%

overall in Victoria

Disabilities

Born overseas

48.2%

Brimbank

30%

Victoria

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

07

Brimbank’s Estimated Resident Population

0 to 4 5 to 9

10 to 14

15 to 19

20 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 44

45 to 49

50 to 54

55 to 59

60 to 64

65 to 69

70 to 74

75 to 79

80 to 84

85 and over

Resident number

Employed

Employed

Brimbank

53.3% 31.9%

Victoria

56.2% 32.3%

Labour

Languages

Vietnamese

Filipino/Tagalog

Greek

Arabic

Macedonian

Maltese

Cantonese

Italian

Croatian

Internet

16.6%

Brimbank

13%

Victoria

08

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

The story so far

Brimbank City Council developed its first Community

Learning Strategy in 2010 to highlight how important

learning is. Council listened to community feedback to

improve the 2014-2017 and 2018-2023 strategies and

have built on the successes of the earlier strategies.

Some of the achievements of the 2018-2023

strategy include:

• An ongoing Burmese and English bilingual story time

program which assisted parents to support their

children’s learning through language and literacy

development and the promotion of the value of

home languages.

• Homework and learning help was delivered through

programs for primary and secondary students to

support learning outside of school. These included

homework groups run in partnership with Equal Ed.

• An online school outreach portal was built to help

schools in Brimbank to book library visits based on

school topics, to help classroom learning and to

provide real life experiences and connections to

community and council services.

• Young people helped Council design career

workshops in four schools (Keilor Downs, Brookside,

Braybrook and Sunshine College), for students

between 8 and 11.

• Local Afghani women helped Council design a

program of workshops to connect Afghani women

to social, financial, educational and health services.

• An

program to help seniors increase

their digital literacy skills. The program runs for six

weeks with a different topic each week. Seniors

take home an iPad with data to practise what

they learnt between classes. Providing the data

and iPads gives seniors a chance to learn and be

included in online learning.

• In partnership with other Councils, two online

festivals were delivered.

They included skills workshops and talks about

employment opportunities in the west. This helped

people during the covid-19 pandemic by connecting

community members to employers, industry

leaders, learning and employment services so that

they can be aware of job opportunities.

• During lockdowns, Council moved services online

so that people could still access learning programs

when everything was closed. Seniors and vulnerable

community members were contacted by phone to

help them get online to join programs and continue

access to council services.

During the lifespan of the 2018-2023 strategy there

were improvements in lifelong learning outcomes in

Brimbank:

• 3.7% more people in Brimbank have completed

year 12 

4

• The percentage of Year 5 students at or above the

national minimum literacy standard has increased

from 92.8% to 94.2%

5

• The percentage of Year 9 students who were

meeting national literacy standards in Brimbank

grew to 88.9% 

6

• The number of young people living in Brimbank

experiencing unemployment dropped from 2,910

in 2018 to 1,720 in 2021

7

• 3.8% more residents now have a Bachelor degree

or higher 8

• The number of seniors involved in work or learning

who are 55 years and over has increased to

16.7% 

9

.

There is still work to be done in the following areas to

improve learning outcomes in Brimbank:

• The number of children under five in Brimbank that

do not meet developmental milestones is high

• Literacy and numeracy standards across all tested

year levels are lower in Brimbank than the Victorian

average (NAPLAN)

• The unemployment rate in Brimbank is higher than

the Victorian average

• Adults in Brimbank are more than three times

as likely not to have attended formal schooling

compared to the Victorian average

4 https://profile.id.com.au/brimbank

5 https://www.nap.edu.au/

6 Ibid

7 https://profile.id.com.au/brimbank

8 Ibid

9 https://profile.id.com.au/brimbank/employment-status

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

09

Consulting with the community

The evaluation of the 2018-2023 strategy included

consultation with community, service providers and

council teams, as well as an online survey of Brimbank

community members.

Feedback highlighted the changing needs of our

community over the past five years, including the

Global Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the

community.

Community needs included the importance placed on:

• Digital literacy

• English language skills

• Access to social programs and volunteer

opportunities to support the mental health of

residents

• Access to more transport options

• Helping young and senior people into education,

employment and community life after lockdowns

• Helping very young children who spent much of

their lives in lockdown to be ready for school.

Consultation was based on United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) major

building blocks of a learning city, a world recognised

framework for lifelong learning.

The six building blocks are:

• Inclusive learning in the education system

• Revitalized learning in families and communities

• Effective learning for and in the workplace

• Extended use of modern learning technologies

• Enhanced quality and excellence in learning

• A vibrant culture of learning throughout life

The building blocks can be used as a guide by local

government and organisations to promote lifelong

learning in their communities. They support individual

empowerment, social connection, economic growth,

cultural richness and sustainable development.

Mobilisation and utilisation of resources

Governance and participation of all stakeholders

Lifelong learning for all

is our city’s future

Strong political will and commitment

Sustainable development

are a

universal call to action to end poverty, protect

the planet and improve the lives and prospects of

everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted

by all United Nations Member States in 2015, as

part of the

which set out a 15-year plan to

achieve the Goals.

10

The UNESCO building blocks and the SDG framework

are linked to each of the strategy life stage

objectives. This will enable Brimbank to think globally

through acting locally, to ensure our work improves

the lives of those in our community.

10 The United Nations: Sustainable Development Goals Agenda

website https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/

development-agenda/

Guiding Principles

– respect lived experience, we work

with community to support diverse learning styles,

needs and expectations

– Increase access to education and

learning for all by addressing barriers to participation,

particularly those based on gender, ethnicity, socio

economic status, age, sexuality and ability

– look for new and better ways and be

open to fresh ideas and approaches to learning

– Work with a range of partners

sharing leadership and respecting expertise

– Support improved access to best

practice learning opportunities and resources in

Brimbank.

12

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

Priorities for Life Stages – Early Years

(birth to compulsory school age)

: supported learning environments for babies

and preschool children at home and in the community

• Encourage children to value learning

• Provide family friendly activities

• Have events in home languages

:

• Support parents and carers in their roles in

children’s lives

• Promote language, literacy and numeracy as

important life skills

• Promote the value of home languages

• Advocate for access to early learning resources

and pre-school opportunities

• Learning experiences and environments support

and reflect the diversity of families including non

binary, LGBTQIA+, men as caregivers and single

parents

• Data from Australian Early Development Census

(AEDC)

• Success stories from community and partners

• Pre-school and kindergarten enrolment data

• Bi-lingual story time attendance

• Library data for items borrowed in languages other

than English

• Connections to SDGs and UNESCO building blocks

–

Marilyn Jager Adams

PhD

First time mother Bianca found guidance

offered by community playgroups helped her

to navigate her journey as a new parent. Bianca

was able to receive assistance and reassurance

when needed and also be provided with helpful

tips from playgroup leaders, to support Bianca

as Oscar’s first teacher.

“Being a covid baby, it took a while for Oscar

to feel familiar with people and I think

playgroups have supported this – especially

now he recognises some of the faces of other

playgroup members. The staff have supported

me in so many ways, including how to put

learning into play, activities for identifying

body parts and things he sees, as well as using

songs to improve his language development.

Being part of playgroups has made me feel

more assured about my role as a parent in

Oscar’s growth and development”

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

13

Priorities for Life Stages – School Years

(compulsory school age, 6-16)

: School age children and teenagers in Brimbank

have access to a wide range of engaging and practical

learning opportunities

• More homework support

• More activities and groups to bring everyone

together to learn

• Career practitioners in each school

• Help with pathway and subject selection

• Access for everyone

• Better public transport

• Opportunities for women in Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

• Promote the value of learning and encourage

additional learning support, such as family learning

opportunities, out of school learning and study

help

• Build positive relationships between schools and

community

• Support best practice models with schools, families

and community to assist families to help children

transition through school

• Advocate for more investment in Brimbank’s public

school system and safe, affordable transport to

schools and services

• Advocate for more resources and help for students

who are at risk of leaving or have disconnected from

school

• Percentage of students at or above the national

minimum standard for literacy (NAPLAN)

• Developmental milestones for children entering

school (AEDC)

• Brimbank Resilient Youth Survey outcomes

• Success stories from community and partners

• Connections to SDGs and UNESCO building blocks

In 2021 Binusha was selected as a member

of the Brimbank Youth Council (BYC). Binusha

was the youngest in the group at 15 years old.

Over two years of being part of the program

Binusha develop core skills including teamwork,

leadership and project management skills.

Being a Youth Councillor has given Binusha

access to, and the confidence to participate in

additional opportunities.

Binusha has actively contributed to other

council projects, including young people

magazine

After the course, Josh

stayed in touch with many of the course

participants and soon afterwards, found a

job at a café not far from his home. Josh also

works in retail, and is considering his options

for future study.

Malala Yousafza

Lailah Gifty Akita

Terry moved to St. Albans as a seven year old in

1959. Terry hated school and eventually trained

as a fitter and turner before undertaking a

46 year career as a long haul truck and coach

driver. Terry always had a keen interest in

woodworking but was time poor during his

working life and did not have much of an

opportunity to pursue it as a hobby.

After his retirement, Terry and a neighbour

decided to visit the Westvale Men’s Shed

where he found a welcoming community of

like-minded people, learning practical skills

and safety.

Terry’s connection with Westvale’s Men’s Shed

has also opened him up to other learning oppor

tunities at Westvale Community Centre. He has

also taken computer and cooking classes over

the past few years. Terry and the other Men’s

Shed members have also supported intergen

erational learning, where they have mentored

groups of young people from neighbouring

primary schools who regularly visit and under

take woodworking activities with members of

the Men’s Shed.

Brimbank Lifeflong Learning Strategy 2024-2029

17

Brimbank City Council would like

to acknowledge and thank the

community for their contribution

to the development of the

Brimbank Lifelong Learning

Strategy 2024-2029.

9249 4000

info@brimbank.vic.gov.au

PO Box 70, Sunshine, VIC 3020

• TTY dial

133 677

• Speak & Listen

1300 555 727

•

www.relayservice.gov.au

, then enter

03 9249 4000

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