Working to inspire youth
Last week we participated in The Smith Family Work Inspiration Program. We had a great day with 15 Eaglehawk Secondary College students who spent two days visiting local organisations, big and small, around Bendigo.
Work inspiration is a modern way of doing work experience. It transforms how we prepare a generation of young Australians for the working world. The aim is to make a young person’s first experience of work positive, meaningful and inspiring.
Local organisations who also participated in the two day program included Stanford Marketing, Keech Australia, Coliban Water, Bendigo Tourism, Deepcore Drilling, and Bendigo Health.
The students arrived at AFS for a quick tour beyond the front gates, most not realising the size of the building nor that it is three stories high! The students were shown through our accounting and audit divisions to gain an insight of what goes on behind the scenes at an accounting firm.
Paul Byrne, one of our Business Services Partners, spoke to the students about his career path and how starting at Eaglehawk College led him to where he is today. Brad Ead, our Audit Partner also spoke to the students about his journey and the career choices he made to become the youngest Partner ever at AFS & Associates.
The students were each required to complete a personality quiz of sorts, as part of the Work Inspiration program. Once completed, the students were able to discuss potential career paths that suited their results.
We attended their awards ceremony at the end of the day and received some great feedback that two of the students were interested in becoming accountants. A great result that shows the students got something out of the day.
The program gives students an opportunity to see behind the scenes of workplaces they may not have otherwise had the chance to. It was an absolute pleasure being able to host the students and we were very proud of their efforts and participation.
As George Bernard Shaw once said;
“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”
