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.

Leading alternative education provider for disengaged youth, The BUSY School, held their official opening of its Coolangatta campus yesterday with Senator, the Honourable Anthony Chisholm (Senator for Queensland, Assistant Minister for Education, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Manager of Government Business in the Senate) in attendance to officially open the school during the ceremony.

“It was a pleasure to open The BUSY School campus in Coolangatta this morning. For some students, a formal or traditional education just isn’t the right learning environment for them, that’s where The BUSY School can help. It’s a place where students are given the individual support they need to build a pathway to a career or further study.”

The Coolangatta campus opened in 2022 to meet the growing demand for alternative schooling throughout Queensland for the many students who, for a variety of reasons, do not succeed in the mainstream schooling system.

CEO of The BUSY School Lee Aitken said the Coolangatta campus has provided Gold Coast and Northern NSW students with the opportunity to engage with their learning in ways that are suited to their individual needs.

“We seek to understand the needs of the students to help re-engage them through a personalised approach for academic and employment outcomes,” he said.

The BUSY School, an independent senior secondary Special Assistance School network with campuses throughout Queensland, provide individualised learning support, career planning development, and additional vocational training to year 11 and 12 students, with 728 students already enrolled throughout the state, and with that number expected to rise.

The BUSY School is an initiative of The BUSY Group, a not-for-profit organisation that delivers a range of employment, apprenticeship support and skills training for job seekers throughout Queensland, and reinvests into the community through initiatives like The BUSY Schools.

Paul Miles, Managing Director of the BUSY Group said the official opening of the Coolangatta school was another significant step in supporting the Gold Coast community.

“The BUSY Schools recognises the need to support all young people to make the best start to their career. The BUSY School offers students who may not otherwise thrive in mainstream schooling a better chance at fulfilling their education, skills and career goals.”

The BUSY School launched their first campus in Cairns in 2020, which proved to be a resounding success. Since then, further campuses have opened in Salisbury, Shailer Park, Coolangatta, and more recently in Brisbane City and Southport Girls+. A new campus in Cleveland is also planned to open in early May.

L-R: Dr Kamal Dhaliwal, Chair of The BUSY School with student, Marley, from the Coolangatta campus, and Senator, the Honourable Anthony Chisholm, Senator for Queensland, Assistant Minister for Education, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Manager of Government Business in the Senate.