Business programme at school adds polish

A high school in Sydney has embraced social entrepreneurship to boost the self-esteem and expectations for success of disengaged young people, the NSW Department of Education reports.

The school is bringing students together with successful business people as mentors, under the auspices of the Beacon Foundation and with financial support from United Way.

South Sydney High, one of 22 NSW public high schools with Beacon programs, began with the Polish programme in Term 4 last year for 19 Year 9 students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The students were taught how to present themselves for an interview, how to speak at an interview, how to have lunch and engage socially with people in the business world.

Their newfound skills were put to the test at a recent breakfast for 60 members of the local business community and public sector organisations. Student Beacon ambassadors, who were chosen after they applied and were interviewed for the job, acted as MCs.

Student ambassador Alison Carr said the program made her realise she could “achieve anything if I put my mind to it and have a successful career in the future”.

Another student ambassador, Natasha Riddoch, said the programme gave her “connections to business people” full of “advice and encouragement”.

Principal Ross Fitzpatrick said building links with local business would “enable us to better assist students in their school to work planning”.

He hoped the Beacon programmes would lead to “better engagement for some of our students who do not want to be at school, particularly since the change to the school leaving age”.

This would include increased attendance at school; better schoolwork completion rates and fewer students receiving academic warnings; and increased understanding by students that working with staff would lead to better outcomes for them as individuals, he said.