Held today at The BUSY School Coolangatta Campus, the NO LIMITS – Careers Expo offered The BUSY School students in the South-East Queensland region the opportunity to explore career pathways to support their future success.

With interactive workshops and a range of industry employers, education facilities and training organisations exhibiting, students had the chance to gain information and participate in hands-on workshops, offering them a glimpse into different trades.

Cohan, a Year 12 student and Student Leader from the Coolangatta campus shared his excitement about the expo, stating, “I’m excited about how many people are actually interested in giving us opportunities and being able to see what we can do.” As a Student Leader, Cohan acts as a bridge between the students and teachers to assist with any struggles students may be having.

“At my previous school, I didn’t really like it and I had an attitude of, ‘oh well, I’ll just do whatever, maybe mechanics’, but now that I really like school since coming here, I want to do something I enjoy.

“I’ll probably go to Southern Cross University, and I want to be a teacher. I’d like to work at an alternative school, mainly a secondary school like The BUSY School. I’d love to work in a school like this; I believe these types of schools are more personalised and more suited to most students these days.”

Jasper and Seth, Year 11 students from the Shailer Park campus, also attended the day. Both are interested in construction and have already started a school-based apprenticeship. They are taking the opportunity to connect with potential future employers who attended the day.

Jasper said, “The expo is great as we can suss out future job opportunities; it’s a good way to try and find work. I’m interested in construction, and I’m already doing a school-based apprenticeship in construction landscaping.”

Dahna Woods, representing Study Gold Coast—an organisation that connects students to further study and work opportunities upon leaving school—said the reason they exhibited today was, “We are the peak body for industry education, connecting young people with industry across the Gold Coast. It gives us an opportunity to understand what students are after and let them know how we can assist them into industry pathways after completing school.”

Marikka Wilken, Employment Pathway Officer at The BUSY School Coolangatta, said, “We’re really motivated to get our students out there to see what opportunities are available to them. We wanted to give them the opportunity to meet prospective employers.

“We’re really excited by the effort that the exhibitors have put in, the turnout here today, and also the interaction from the students!”

The NO LIMITS – Careers Expo exhibitors included a range of local businesses and esteemed community organisations, Registered Training Organisations, renowned Universities and Trade Industry representatives. View the full list of exhibitors here.

The day provided interactive workshops, a barbecue lunch that everyone enjoyed and even live DJs to add to the atmosphere!

Plan ahead! Our event will be held annually, so if your business is keen on exhibiting in 2025, please contact:

Carly Brown via email at carly.brown@thebusygroup.com.au

Cohan (centre) with the crew from Southern Cross University who exhibited on the day. Cohan is interested in a career path as a high school teacher.

Jasper (L) and Seth (R) with the crew from Smart Apprenticeship Solutions, a Group Training Organisation that offers employment opportunities for apprentices.

Having struggled at her previous school and ultimately disengaging from her senior education, Ninah decided to enrol at The BUSY Schools Salisbury campus after hearing about their more personalised approach. Since commencing at The BUSY Schools, Ninah has found she is coping better with the individualised support, smaller classroom environment and feels more comfortable to talk with staff who are supporting her unique needs.

“At BUSY Schools, there is a lot more personal interaction between students and our teachers, as opposed to a teacher standing in front of the board talking at you, not to you,” said Ninah.

Over the school holidays, Ninah completed one week of work experience in the Technical Department at education provider, SAE Creative Media Institute. At the Brisbane campus, she assisted various departments including film, audio, and animation where she gained valuable insight into the many facets of the creative arts.

“Having never worked before, it was really cool being able to go out to a workplace for an entire week and explore different types of equipment,” said Ninah.

“The staff there were super friendly as well which was really comforting, especially with those first day jitters.”

With a deep passion for music, Ninah would like to work in the music industry as a sound engineer and found the work experience at SAE a perfect fit as she was able to get hands on with the broad range of industry grade equipment at SAE’s state of the art facilities.

Employment Pathways Officer at BUSY Schools Salisbury, Rodney Florent, said that to assist Ninah, they will continue to research the various employment pathways into the creative arts and media industries.

“We are looking at hopefully getting Ninah to join Queensland Music Festivals on their tour throughout Central Queensland, but if not, then we will seek other opportunities within similar industries,” said Rodney.

“It is really great to get teens into work experience while they are still at school because it gives them the chance to learn what it means to work. With the added opportunity of a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, they get the added bonus of progressing their senior studies, gaining a qualification and gaining valuable work skills which can open up even more career opportunities for them.”

Dr Luke McMillan, General Manager for SAE said, “It was a pleasure to work with BUSY Schools, as we share a common set of values. SAE and BUSY schools understand the importance of diversifying our workforce, and giving a wide range of students access to higher education  – helping them succeed personally and professionally. SAE was delighted to support Ninah on her journey and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours”.

Lee Aitken, CEO for The BUSY Schools, said, “The BUSY Schools reengage students in their senior schooling whist preparing them for employment when they graduate. Through work experience, vocational training and the opportunities to undertake school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, students get real world experience and a head start in their careers”.

Ninah enjoyed her one-week work experience at SAE Institute and is now exploring a career pathway as a sound engineer.

For more information on BUSY Schools, visit https://www.busyschools.qld.edu.au/

MEDIA CONTACT:                     

Michelle Ryan, BUSY At Work

0407 169 029 or email michelle.ryan@busyatwork.com.au