Thirty-six students from Swifts Creek P-12 and Bairnsdale Secondary College came together recently for three days of hands-on career exploration as part of a pilot program for Broadening Horizons — an innovative education initiative connecting secondary schools with local industry.
Offered by Gippsland East LLEN, Broadening Horizons is designed to give students valuable insights into local industries, career opportunities, and job pathways, while sparking their aspirations and preparing them for the future.
East Gippsland Shire Council served as an industry partner, collaborating with the year eight and nine students to provide a rich and engaging learning experience. Students applied their classroom learning to real-world challenges posed by the shire.
Throughout the program, students were introduced to the Design Thinking framework and visited several council-managed sites. These included ideas for reducing textile waste in landfills, revitalising the Port of Bairnsdale and strategies to attract young people to the shire as future employees.
“The Broadening Horizons program offers a unique learning model, different from traditional classrooms. It helps students build essential work skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and effective communication,” Neeta D’Souza, executive officer at Gippsland East LLEN, said.
The program culminated in a presentation where students shared their solutions with their industry mentors in the council’s chamber office. Among the audience were mayor Cr John White, Cr Bernie Farquhar, chief executive officer Fiona Weigall, general manager place and community Chris Stephenson, and the principals of both schools.
The students confidently presented their ideas, answering questions from the audience and demonstrating the positive impact of their participation in the program.
“Broadening Horizons increases student engagement by bridging the gap between the classroom and the workplace,” Neeta said.
“Industry benefits by having a platform to engage with young people on important issues, attract the next generation to their business, and offer valuable mentoring opportunities for their staff.”
Further information about the program is available on the Gippsland East LLEN website.
