In a new addition to their ABCN Business Class partnership, students from Victorian schools Maffra Secondary College and Elisabeth Murdoch College (EMC) recently swapped the classroom for the boardroom, growing their skills through an innovative real-life work scenario thanks to Australia Post and their unique Hack Dayz process.

Hack Dayz typically bring together a diverse group of employees for 24-hours to ‘hack’ an idea or business problem. The event culminates in a marketplace where ideas and awards are presented. The process enables Australia Post graduates to work with students to develop their professional capabilities and encourage the expansion of career aspirations. It also offers their graduates an avenue to mentor high school students.

This year’s Hack Dayz program involved six teams of four students and four Australia Post graduates. Student participants were fully immersed as team members in a real business environment, helping to generate ideas and build a prototype to present at the Hack Dayz marketplace. The opportunity provided them with an insight into professional work life after school and exposure to a variety of business areas.

‘The immersion in such a challenge over two days working with trained experts had a profound impact on our young people. To hear the students talk about their ideas and how they developed these in small teams further confirmed the importance and value of our strong partnership with Australia Post’ said Tim Harper, Principal of Elisabeth Murdoch College

Australia Post run a series of Hack Dayz throughout the year, providing an effective model for supporting the students’ immersion in the business.

‘Our Hack Dayz events further embed a culture of innovation, collaboration and customer centricity across the business,’ says Australia Post’s Graduate Program Manager, Kate Holper. ‘Through the Graduate Hack Dayz and more broadly the Business Class partnership, our graduates are offered an avenue to demonstrate innovation, leadership capability, and build and apply strategic thinking skills, while also supporting local communities.’