ETC funding helps ShoreTrack create more opportunities for local young people

NOT-FOR-PROFIT provider ShoreTrack, in Macksville, celebrated being awarded a 2026 Enterprise and Training Company (ETC) Community Support Fund grant worth $45,000 with a morning tea on 17 September.

Young participants currently attending work readiness programs joined with representatives from the ETC and ShoreTrack to raise their coffee mugs in acknowledgment of what the funding means to their futures.

The grant will help create more traineeships, work experience and employment pathway opportunities for local young people, while supporting ShoreTrack to continue delivering work-readiness programs that build confidence, practical skills and connect with pathways to employment and further education.

“This funding has allowed us to purchase a new zero-turn mower, trailer and vehicle, strengthening our lawn and property maintenance operations and helping us expand the number of young people we can engage through real, paid work opportunities,” ShoreTrack’s Business Development Manager of STeps, Geoff Batten told News Of The Area.

ShoreTrack previously received $117,000 in funding support from ETC to help establish its industry training space, supporting the organisation’s early efforts to create skills development opportunities for local young people.

This latest grant is the second time ShoreTrack has received support through the ETC Community Support Fund, reflecting the significant impact the organisation continues to have in the lives of local young people.

As a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation, ETC has invested approximately $3.4 million into community organisations and initiatives through the ETC Community Support Fund since 2012, helping create stronger and more connected communities across the regions it serves.

ETC is headquartered in Coffs Harbour.

By Andrea FERRARI