The Barista Blue program was recently run by Moorabool Police's Blue Light program, in an effort to give young people an opportunity to become "job-ready".

Leading Senior Constable Jim Ross, who is Victoria Police's Youth Resource Officer in Moorabool, facilitated the program with support from the community.

In all 31 young people took part in the program. With no charge to the participants, it included travel to a barista course at T.M.G College in West Melbourne.

To give the participants real-world experience to complement the course and boost their future employment prospects, each young person also completed four hours of work experience at Lola's Cafe and Espresso Bar in Bacchus Marsh.

Read more: Police helping to create employment pathways for region's youth

Completed over several weeks, Leading Senior Constable Ross said the program had all gone smoothly, "without a hiccup". It was a highly caffeinated number of weeks for him - agreeing to try each participant's coffees - and only one small problem was encountered throughout its entirety - when a train a group was to travel on down to the course in Melbourne was delayed, but only by a few minutes.

Leading Senior Constable Ross said the benefits for the young participants, all aged between 15 and 17, were numerous.

"It was a new experience for some to attend the course in an 'adult' environment," he told The Courier.

"All the young people enjoyed the course and their work experience at Lola's."

He hopes the participants gained a new appreciation of "getting out what you put in" - meaning they completed the course and so their employment prospects have improved.

The work experience component allowed the young people to "break the ice" in attending a workplace and boost their confidence about starting work.

The opportunity allowed the participants to improve and further develop their communication skills, while gaining valuable hands-on experience in hospitality to include on their resumes.

"There was also the aspect of utilising public transport and navigating around the city," Leading Senior Constable Ross said.

Max Rovere, aged 17, was one of the participants.

Learning about the program through his school, he thought he would throw his hat into the ring and successfully applied.

While he entered the program with little experience of customer service and knowledge of what working in a cafe would involve, he told The Courier he enjoyed the experience.

He enjoyed conversing with customers and described the cafe as having a "great atmosphere".

By making milkshakes, washing dishes, folding napkins, clearing tables and serving food to customers, he learnt many new skills he hopes will help him to soon gain employment in hospitality.

When approached by Leading Senior Constable Ross with the idea to give the young people real-life experience working in hospitality, Lola's Cafe Owner Jenny Colley was more than happy to assist.

"I wanted to help the kids in the town to get a bit of experience about what it's like to work," she said.

She opened her doors and helped mentor the dozens of young people to undertake their work experience during the last several weeks.

Some were "thrown into the deep end", with their work experience scheduled during the busy weekend rush, but she said all had shown initiative.

"They were all fantastic. They were all enthusiastic, wanted to learn and got stuck into it," Ms Colley said.

She watched some of the young people grow more confident within a few short hours, once they had learnt the ropes.

With the business booming post-COVID, Ms Colley is planning on employing a number of the young people in coming weeks.

The program also provided an opportunity for positive engagement between police and young people.

"I had the opportunity to share with them a new experience for their benefit," Leading Senior Constable Ross said, adding that he was also able to discuss policing with the young people, to break down barriers.

"It gave me an opportunity to discuss with them how we can assist and help our community."

In working to establish the program, Leading Senior Constable Ross desired to create a positive experience and better outcomes for young people. He believes he achieved that this year, with a number of the participants since securing employment.

"Ensuring the program continues each year will provide many more opportunities for other young people," he said.

In its inaugural year, the Barista Blue program was supported by Moorabool Shire Council and has also been widely supported by the community, businesses and the community bank.

More than a police program, it has shaped up to be a whole community project with the joint ambition to boost youth opportunities, engagement and employment for the region's young people.

"I have been approached by other community members wanting to get on board and asking how they can assist," Leading Senior Constable Ross said.

"The program has proven to be flexible and I am getting lots of support to broaden what the program can offer."

He is looking forward to expanding the program in years to come, with ideas including responsible service of alcohol or first aid courses.