Since joining The Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) in 2006, our people have embraced the concept of collaborative action. ABCN was established to bring together business leaders to create positive social change through practical educational programs that engage students, educators and business people. The aim of this collaborative approach is to influence the development of our future workforce by increasing opportunities for disadvantaged schools and students.
In Sydney, Brisbane and Perth we have been actively involved in creating lasting change by utilising the business expertise of our people to add value to the students and teachers at a number of schools. Our focus is on improving training and literacy levels, supporting innovation, mentoring and broadening opportunities for students through two significant initiatives.
Partners in Learning matches business leaders one-on-one with school principals who are facing complex challenges, providing them with the opportunity to share experiences, solve problems and explore leadership challenges together.
In Sydney, our CEO Tony Harrington is living the values of responsible leadership by mentoring Angela Lyris, the Principal of Granville Boys High School. Granville faces challenges including student retention and community engagement, and Tony and Angela have been working together over the last year to explore various solutions.
The pair identified that the school was in need of a marketing and communications strategy, and Tony engaged our communications team to help the school prepare a prospectus and develop a sound media strategy.
"The challenges faced by this culturally and linguistically diverse school in many ways contrast those we face working in the corporate world. Yet there are also similarities in dealing with challenges - by building strong relationships with our communities to achieve as much as we can with available resources” said Lisa Jervis, PwC’s Communications Director. Following Tony’s lead, our senior leaders in Brisbane are actively involved in Partners in Learning relationships, and we are now expanding engagement to Perth and Melbourne.
A natural extension of our Partners in Learning relationships is engaging our people in supporting the school’s students. The GOALS mentoring program, targeted at Year 9 students, enables the students to meet people working outside their immediate community and consider wider vocational and education options. A call to action was sent to Sydney and Perth staff, with over 25 nominating to mentor students. In structured sessions, the students and mentors have private discussions, complete joint activities and participate in group discussions on issues such as goal setting and building rapport.
Sydney manager Richard Scenna didn’t hesitate to get involved and, while both Richard and his student match were initially apprehensive, they soon found ways to connect through common interests and laughter. "The experience is really enjoyable, and the time always flies by leaving me looking forward to the next session. Such a little amount of my time means the world to these students, teachers and parents.”
Richard’s student ends each session with a reinforced confidence in his potential and what can be achieved; and Richard doesn’t leave empty handed.
“Ultimately, the important things are those experiences and moments you have with people. This is one of them, and I have an opportunity to give this student an angle that I wish I’d had at his age.”
Richard Scenna, PwC GOALS mentor |
