{"id":109237,"date":"2025-11-11T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bendigotimes\/?p=109237"},"modified":"2025-11-06T22:51:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T11:51:47","slug":"paid-driving-lessons-a-road-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bendigotimes\/news\/paid-driving-lessons-a-road-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Paid driving lessons a road to success"},"content":{"rendered":"

WOMENCAN Australia – a charity that assists women to reconnect with jobs and work – has received $144,000 in funding from the State Government for its Driving to Employment Program, which will support almost eighty women living in Bendigo and Shepparton to gain a probationary licence.<\/p>\n

The program will provide each participant with over 14 paid driving lessons, allowing them around 40 hours of driving experience in varying conditions.<\/p>\n

Research shows that lack of access to transport, including holding a drivers license, can be a barrier to women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in regional areas.<\/p>\n

Delivered through the Government’s Flexible Local Transport Solutions Program \u2013 the initiative is expected to help women in Bendigo and Shepparton to overcome those barriers and give them a greater chance of securing ongoing employment.<\/p>\n

WomenCAN previously received funding to support 40 women across Maribyrnong, Mildura and Bendigo to obtain their Ps.<\/p>\n

Its CEO, Heather Saunders, said her organisation is “absolutely thrilled” to receive the “vital” funding for the Driving to Employment program.<\/p>\n

“In regional areas like Bendigo and Shepparton, a driver’s licence isn’t just a convenience – it’s essential to financial independence,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Our experience shows that when women overcome transport barriers, they can access better jobs, support their families, and fully participate in community life.<\/p>\n

“This investment will transform lives by giving women the mobility, confidence and independence they need to thrive.”<\/p>\n

Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards said the funding is about equipping women “not only with the skills to drive, but with the independence to thrive.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan said it will “make sure more women have access to the job they want, deserve and rely on.”<\/p>\n

Further opportunities available through WomenCAN can be found on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WOMENCAN Australia – a charity that assists women to reconnect with jobs and work – has received $144,000 in funding from the State Government for its Driving to Employment Program, which will support almost eighty women living in Bendigo and Shepparton to gain a probationary licence. The program will provide each participant with over 14 […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":109240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-109237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPaid driving lessons a road to success - Bendigo Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"WomenCAN\u2019s Driving to Employment program helps Bendigo and Shepparton women gain licences, independence, and access to better jobs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bendigotimes\/news\/paid-driving-lessons-a-road-to-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paid driving lessons a road to success - 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