Digital Programs

We have been developing our digital capabilities since 2019 with the aim of increasing program accessibility and scaling student and mentor impact. We fast-tracked this work during the COVID-19 pandemic when most school excursions to member company workplaces were postponed.

Creating digital versions of our traditional face-to-face programs has allowed ABCN to bring our programs to students in regional and remote areas in 2021, and to reach more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Our digital programs also remove barriers to mentor participation since they can join from their home, office or wherever they happen to be at the time.

The aim is to provide a new path forward in how ABCN programs are experienced and delivered.

Core ABCN programs

In 2019, supported by Accenture and Fjord, we ran two successful pilots for a digital version of our flagship GOALS program. As with the original face-to-face program, digital GOALS aims to widen the life choices and aspirations of students in their middle years of high school, encouraging them to complete their schooling by focusing on goal-setting, self-management and critical thinking. We ran our first 2020 digital GOALS program in South Australia.

Digital GOALS was the first in a suite of ABCN digital programs rolled out over the second half of 2020. They included Focus  (leadership skills for girls), Future Thinkers  (innovative problem-solving through design thinking) and Aspirations  (awareness of post-school career pathways). We also created our first program designed for pure digital delivery, Empower, which builds students’ confidence, skills and mindsets such as resilience and adaptability to equip students to adapt to a rapidly changing workplace and world.

In 2021 we launched digital versions of Innovate  (encouraging the uptake of STEM jobs) and Interview 2 Impress  (equips students for successful job interviews).

See examples of how we’re being very flexible with our delivery – using a safe mix of digital and face-to-face formats depending on the needs of our schools and member companies.

We delivered 179 digital programs in 2020 and another 185 in the first half of 2021.

See a snapshot of all our core programs here.

Collaborative programs

In addition to our core programs, we have also co-created digital versions of specialised programs with our member companies. Examples include:

• SolveIT, in partnership with EY, that aims to create authentic learning experiences linked to the Year 9 mathematics curriculum,
• Full STEAM Ahead, a collaboration with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences to engage students in Years 7-8 with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math-based activities,
• My Career Rules, an initiative supported by Accenture to connect Year 10-11 students with a panel of professionals telling their career stories in an interactive video conference environment.