Having been in place for around 25 years, the CDEP scheme is the longest standing government work program. It would be surprising therefore if people did not have some view of its possible role in their futures. A recent survey in Torres Strait shows that although communities appear to utilise CDEP to create employment and training opportunities young people feel that the scheme has limited potential to further their careers. This paper uses data from the survey to analyse the apparent contradiction between these 'good news' and 'bad news' stories and suggests what the implications may be for the future of the program.

The data are taken from a survey carried out in Torres Strait of 105 young Torres Strait Islanders between the ages of 15 and 24. The major objective of the study is to determine the aspirations of young people and to discover if these coincide with the aims of the government's welfare programs, which are related to the labour market (see Arthur 1999; Arthur & David-Petero 2000a, 2000b, 2000c). Although the study is not centred on CDEP, the survey revealed information about it, as one of the major programs in the area. In Torres Strait, CDEP is managed individually by each island Community Council. At the time of the survey there were 17 of these CDEP schemes with a total of approximately 1700 participants.

Approximately half of those surveyed were males and half were females. Half lived in the regional centre of Thursday Island and half in a small community on an outlying island. People in the survey were employed in the non-CDEP sector, employed in the CDEP sector, unemployed, or still at secondary school. Therefore, the data reflect the opinions of a fairly broad range of young people.