27 May 2011 – Jobfind Centres Australia is working to get youth off the streets and into careers that take advantage of their artistic talent.

Jobfind Centre Gosford and YouthConnections.com.au are offering Central Coast youths with a gift for Aerosol-can Art the chance to tap into their talent and win some great prizes. Open to anyone between the ages of 13 and 25 years, prizes include $500 and the chance to have their artwork on permanent display by painting their very own mural in Gosford.

In addition to these prizes, the top 10 artists selected by the competition’s judges will get the chance to take part in a series of painting workshops running for four weeks. Offered by YouthConnections.com.au, the workshops allow the artists to develop and refine their painting skills while practising their craft and critiquing their technique. By the end of the workshop program each of the participants will have prepared a draft on canvas, which will be judged to select the final winner who will paint the four metre by two metre mural in Gosford.

Katie Gleeson, Centre Manager of Jobfind Centre Gosford, believes very strongly in the importance of this competition. “What most people don’t realise when they see graffiti is that the artists behind it have a great deal of talent, they just don’t often get the opportunity to showcase their abilities without illegally painting a public space”, she said. “This competition aims to put this creativity to good use by helping these kids develop the skills they need for successful careers in areas such as graphic design, painting and tattoo artistry.”

One such entrant in the competition, Brett Lucas, is a 23 year old ex-offender who came to Jobfind looking for help finding work. With his gift for drawing, Brett has been volunteering at a local tattoo studio to gain some work experience while completing Jobfind’s Ready4Work employment preparation program. With the help of the team at Jobfind, Brett is now looking into starting a Graphic Design course at TAFE.

“Jobfind has been really great helping me look into the types of courses and jobs I can work towards using the drawing skills I already have. I really hope my entry in the competition gets picked for the final ten”, said Brett.

Entries for the Gosford Graffiti Art Competition are open until Friday 3 June. A draft or sketch is all that is required to enter. To find out more, call 4301 3800 or visit Jobfind Centre, 5 Watt Street, Gosford.

Katie Gleeson, Centre Manager of Jobfind Gosford, in front of the wall where one lucky graffiti artist will paint a mural 

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For more information please contact Ry Bradly on 02 9259 5530.

NOTES TO EDITORS: About Jobfind Centres Australia Pty Ltd

Jobfind is a division of the Angus Knight group of companies, an Australian-owned organisation with a proven, decade-long record of providing quality employment and training services. A provider of the Australian Government’s Job Services Australia, Jobfind has placed more than 350,000 people into jobs since its inception. For more information on Jobfind and the Angus Knight Group, please visit www.jobfindcentre.com.au