Designing programs for impact
ABCN works with partners to design and pilot new programs that respond to emerging workforce needs and student priorities. Successful initiatives can become part of our national program suite.
Our Program Development team is focused on innovation, design and development of new programs.
It enables us to work beyond our core programs to pilot innovative new programs and concepts, with the aim of adding them to our core program suite. In this way, our program curriculum is responding to the greatest needs of the changing world of work to maximise our impact.
Dulili
There remains a significant disparity in educational outcomes between First Nations and non-First Nations Australians. The impact of this gap extends beyond academic achievement, affecting young people’s confidence, wellbeing and access to future opportunities.
Dulili aims to build First Nations students’ confidence around what they can achieve and to broaden their educational and career aspirations. The program has been developed through extensive consultation with First Nations students and educators, keeping the student voice at the centre of its design.
STEM programs
Students from low socio-economic backgrounds are under-represented in STEM study pathways in Australia. ABCN worked with grant funders on specific initiatives that raise interest and awareness, develop STEM skills and grow understanding of pathways and how what they learn now connects to real-world careers and future opportunities.
Gen. STEM
A unique five-year longitudinal initiative that works with the same cohort of students from Year 8 through to Year 12 across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Through repeated workplace experiences and mentoring over time, students build STEM capability and develop a stronger understanding of how STEM learning connects with real jobs.
They meet professionals, explore different pathways and gain practical insight into the changing world of work. The long-term model gives students opportunities to build on earlier learning as they move through secondary school and begin making decisions about further study and careers.
Full STEAM Ahead
A hands-on STEAM initiative bringing students in Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales together with industry mentors, alongside museum and university outreach teams. Across the program, students explore how STEAM skills are applied beyond the classroom and learn more about the range of careers they can lead to. Practical activities build coding capability as students work towards developing a prototype solution using a Micro:bit.
By combining technical learning with mentoring and exposure to real-world applications, the program helps students build confidence in STEAM and develop a clearer understanding of future study and career pathways.
STEM Career Crossroads
Supporting Year 12 students in Western Sydney, STEM Career Crossroads helps young people navigate the transition from school to university and into future-focused STEM careers. Through industry mentoring and real-world experiences, students gain a clearer understanding of the pathways available to them and what different STEM careers can look like in practice. The program makes those pathways more tangible by connecting learning with workplace insight, helping students build confidence as they consider further study and future career options.
Pathway programs
Specific initiatives that build awareness, confidence and understanding of career pathways, helping students explore options and make informed decisions about their futures.
Fit for Fashion
Fit for Fashion gives students in Years 10 to 12 a behind-the-scenes view of an industry that extends well beyond design and retail. Across two sessions, students meet mentors working in areas such as marketing, sales, human resources and finance, gaining first-hand insight into different roles and pathways.
The program also builds practical job-readiness skills, including interview preparation, and gives students the opportunity to apply for casual summer roles with PVH brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
School Leadership Program
School Leadership Program
A new mentoring initiative that connects school principals with experienced business mentors to help build leadership capacity in schools.
