Industry Innovators

The Industry Innovators Program is a hands-on careers, innovation and industry experience that challenges students to explore the future of work while developing solutions to real challenges facing organisations and industries today. Working as young innovation consultants, students receive an industry-inspired client brief before collaborating in teams to research the challenge, investigate emerging trends and develop an innovative yet feasible solution.

Designed to build confidence in creativity, collaboration and professional problem-solving, the program mirrors the way innovation happens in the workplace. Students take on specialist team roles, participate in project check-ins and masterclasses, and use design thinking to take an idea from initial research through to a final concept. Along the way, students explore emerging technologies, changing consumer expectations and future career pathways while developing the skills needed to become the next generation of innovators and intrapreneurs.

Workshop Themes Include:

1. Industry Trends & Future Careers Students investigate how their chosen industry is changing, exploring emerging technologies, new ways of working and the diverse career pathways likely to shape its future.

2. Understanding The Challenge Students unpack an industry-inspired client brief, conduct competitor and trend research, and develop customer personas to better understand the challenge and the people affected by it.

3. Design Thinking & Industry Innovation Students work in specialist team roles to generate, test and refine innovative solutions that balance creativity, customer needs and real-world feasibility.

4. Prototyping & Industry Pitching Students bring their ideas to life through prototypes, business models, marketing concepts or digital mock-ups before pitching their final solution as if presenting to an industry client.

Schools can choose one or multiple industry challenges that best align with their students, curriculum or local career pathways. We recommend offering students a selection of challenges to choose from, allowing them to explore an industry or issue that interests them.

Current Industry Challenges Include:

1. The Future of Retail Students explore how changing customer expectations, emerging technologies and new shopping behaviours are transforming retail. Teams reimagine how brands can create seamless online and in-store experiences while developing innovative ideas for the future of shopping.

2. Mental Health Hackathon Students investigate how schools and communities can better support young people's wellbeing before developing an innovative digital solution, physical space or school-based initiative designed to encourage healthy habits and provide support when it is needed.

3. The Future of Sport Students redesign the stadium of the future, exploring how technology, sustainability and changing spectator expectations could transform the way fans experience live sport.

4. The Future of Transport Students investigate the technologies and trends changing how people move before developing innovative transport solutions for their community. Ideas can explore autonomous vehicles, public and mass transit, accessibility, congestion and more sustainable alternatives to fossil-fuel-powered transport.

5. The Future of Digital Communities Students explore how social media and online communities could evolve before designing an ethical social media platform of the future that promotes positive, safe and meaningful digital interactions.

6. The Future of Long Haul Flying Students step into the aviation industry to design the next generation of ultra-long-haul travel. Teams select an aircraft and route, develop ticket pricing, redesign the cabin and inflight experience, and create a launch strategy for their new service.

Schools can select an existing challenge or our team can work with the school and industry partners to develop a custom Industry Innovators brief around a particular sector, local employer, curriculum focus or future career pathway.

The program works particularly well as an industry immersion experience, careers education initiative or extension to Business, Design, Technologies and entrepreneurship subjects. It can also be used to introduce students to a particular industry before work experience, subject selection or senior pathways, helping students connect what they are learning at school with the skills, technologies and career opportunities shaping the workplace.

Program Outcomes:

By the end of the program, students will:

1. Develop confidence in creativity, collaboration, communication and professional teamwork

2. Strengthen design thinking, research and real-world problem-solving skills

3. Explore emerging technologies, industry trends and future career pathways

4. Build an understanding of innovation and intrapreneurship within real organisations

5. Develop and pitch an innovative solution in response to an industry-inspired client brief

Every program can be tailored to suit the specific goals and expected outcomes of your classroom. Whether you are preparing students for subject selection, career exploration, assessment tasks, competitions, project-based learning, industry showcases or curriculum outcomes, our team can adapt the experience to align with your students, learning objectives and school priorities.