At the end of 2017, all Year 10 boys participated in the Life Skills program. This two-day program allowed students to develop the basic skills and qualifications in areas of their choosing through receiving external training by experts. The courses were selected by a voluntary Life Skills Committee of a handful of students. After the cohort had been surveyed on which courses had enough people interested to run, Mr Mountain contacted organisations around Sydney and made the final arrangements.

On the first day, the boys participated in courses such as SCUBA, barista, DJ, Construction White Card, First Aid, cooking, photography, welding, and sport coaching. The reception for the program was overwhelmingly positive; every boy developed a new skill or qualification relating to their own personal interests, and they got to do so alongside their mates. 

On the second day, an external company taught the boys about how to search for a part-time job, writing a resume and a cover letter and some key interview skills.

I hope the Life Skills program continues to inspire and educate students in years to come. We would like to thank the staff who ran some of the programs or accompanied the boys to off-site activities.

Jack Walker (11/KL)

More from the boys on their experiences…

“I found the football coaching to be a unique and special experience, not only did we get to learn about something we loved we did it with our mates, It was a great taster into football coaching and I would like to further increase my football coaching from now on.” – Tom Sutton (11/MA)

“The life skills welding course has not only provided me with the technical and practical skills of welding but, together with the guidance of Mr Ellis, has also inspired me to create using the skills learnt.” – Liam Pidcock (11/MA)

“I gained a professional understanding of the food service and coffee industry, throughout the day our group learnt high-level barista and server skills, gaining hands-on experience.” – George Webster (11/KL)

“Cricket coaching was a great experience. It was extremely beneficial learning from NSW coaches that shared their extensive knowledge on how to handle and coach younger children. They especially focused on allowing young players to do what they feel is natural and to try not adjust anyone to one specific way of playing.” – Joel Phillips (11/JN)

“I participated in the DJ course run by Andrew from Sydney DJ School which was very enjoyable and educational. We were all able to try out professional grade equipment and practise what Andrew had taught us. It was a great experience as we could engage in a course of genuine interest to us.” – Charlie Timpson (11/JN)