Our Impact

64,581

students have been mentored by 46,590 volunteers from our member companies since our founding in 2005

87%

of students in our flagship programs, GOALS and Aspirations, completed Year 12 in 2022

97%

of mentors said they felt proud that their company is part of ABCN in 2022

2023 ABCN Annual Impact Report

Research consistently shows social background is a key predictor of educational and future success. In Australia, the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged schools is unusually wide, existing across all domains and skills both at school and into adulthood.¹

Almost one third (27.5%) of youth from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds in Australia do not complete Year 12, according to 2021 figures from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

This increases their likelihood of welfare dependency rather than economic autonomy.

The pandemic has widened this gap in education equity even further. Human Rights Watch reported in May 2021 that COVID-induced school closures were particularly harmful for students from vulnerable populations such as young women, First Nations students, refugees and migrant students and those living in low SES or rural, regional and remote areas.

Education is key for these students to access opportunities and tertiary pathways for long-term meaningful employment and a sustainable income for themselves and their families. Yet the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged schools in Australia is one of the largest in the OECD. Disadvantaged schools experience more teacher shortages, higher teacher-student ratios and greater inadequacy of educational resources than advantaged schools.

ABCN works with schools and business to level the playing field for these students.

The challenge

By the age of 15, students from low SES areas in Australia are on average three years behind their counterparts from more advantaged areas in maths and science.²

In 2021, 26% did not complete Year 12 or equivalent³, compared with less than 15% from the highest SES backgrounds.

51% of young adults from the lowest SES backgrounds are engaged fully in education, training or work, compared to 82% from the highest SES backgrounds.⁴

But these statistics belie the enormous potential of the young people in these schools.

Research has demonstrated that business engagement with education can make a significant difference to young people⁵, particularly those from low SES backgrounds.

Australian schools want to increase their engagement with business, to help support their young people make better choices, and an effective transition from school.⁶

Sources:

[1] Educational opportunity in Australia, Lamb (2020)

[2] Program for International School Assessment (2016, 2019)

[3] Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2021)

[4] Educational opportunity in Australia, Lamb (2020)

[5] It’s who you meet, Education and Employers (2012)

[6] What do schools want from engagement with business? ACER (2019)

Lacy, scholar

'My mentor was a great role model to look up to.'

‘My childhood changed forever at 13, when my Mum and Dad got into drugs,’ Lacey says. ‘At that time, I made a decision: I didn’t want to follow the same path as them.’ At the end of Year 10, Lacey successfully applied for an ABCN scholarship. She has since completed school, enrolled in a pharmacy degree at the University of Queensland and is working full-time while she also considers other career options. ‘ABCN has exposed me to so many successful people who’ve had the confidence to try a mixture of different things and that’s made a strong impact on me to do the same,’ she says.

Impact on students

59%

of GOALS and Aspirations students received university offers (compared with 46% for students from low socioeconomic areas

87%

of Innovate students said they were interested in STEM subjects (compared with 49% before the program)

90%

of former GOALS students are fully engaged in education, employment and/or training 10 years on* (compared with 63% for low SES students)

* ABCN measures the longitudinal impact our programs have on students. We have surveyed 49 of our students who, when they were about 14, participated in our flagship GOALS program between 2005 and 2008. We found that their average income was $60,000 in 2018, compared to the national average of $37,600 for 24-year-olds (ABS, 2016).

How we measure impact

Impact on mentors

96%

of mentors said they felt inspired to help others more as a result of their ABCN program in 2022

92%

of mentors said their mentoring/coaching skills improved as a result of participating in a program

30%

lower attrition of mentors found by two member companies*

* Two ABCN member companies – PwC and Optus – tracked all their mentors who had participated in programs over a number of years. PwC found that participants had a 30% lower attrition rate than the company average, while Optus reported a 34% reduced rate.

Which companies we work with

abcn is making a difference

ABCN creates a future-fit workforce through our shared value proposition: meaningful interactions that improve student employability while increasing mentors’ workplace success.