Project Ready Continues to Build Confidence at Cobram Anglican Grammar School
Cobram Anglican Grammar School's experience of Project Ready has gone from strength to strength since the program began. Heading into its fourth year of delivery in 2027, the program's popularity was clear at the recent information night, with Head of Senior School John Thompson noting it was the highest turnout he had seen all year.
It has become a tradition at these sessions for current Project Ready students to speak about their experience directly to prospective students and their families. This year, Harlin Robbins and Ben Dean took on that role, sharing highlights from visits to local industry and emergency services including the CFA and SES, along with the community project work many students choose to take further than the required 20 hours of volunteering.
Project Ready manager Janoel Liddy spoke to the audience about the year-long course and how it helps young people explore what kind of work they might want to try, build skills that carry into any workplace, and grow their confidence connecting with people and taking on projects.
"There's no way we could have stood up and presented to a large group before Project Ready."
Harlin Robbins, Project Ready student
During the session, Janoel invited the audience to physically place themselves on a continuum from one to ten, answering questions like how confident they would feel walking into a new workplace and introducing themselves to strangers, or speaking in front of a group. Responses ranged right across the scale.
Noticing that Ben and Harlin had rated themselves around seven or eight, Project Ready facilitator Sharonlee Parker asked where they would have placed themselves before starting the program. Both dropped straight to the bottom of the scale. "There's no way we could have stood up and presented to a large group before Project Ready," Harlin said. "Project Ready's made a real difference to how confident we are with people!" Ben added.
““Project Ready’s made a real difference to how confident we are with people.””
Ben and Harlin also spoke about the industries they had visited and the community project they took on with the local aged care home, work that surprised many students with how much they got out of it, with several continuing on well past their required hours. Ben is also preparing to take part in an international school volunteering trip, something Sharonlee asked him whether he would have considered before the program. "No way! I would have been too nervous!" Ben replied.
Through the program, Ben has found direction toward a career in psychology, drawn to the parts of the course built around talking with and helping people. He has also formed close friendships within the Project Ready group, with people he says he would never have spoken to otherwise.
Harlin reflected on how different his own path might have looked without the program, "I would not be standing up here, I'd be back at home in bed. There have been so many opportunities, like last week we went to visit a healthcare centre in Numurkah, and when you think of healthcare, you think of nurses, doctors, but we learned there's so many more opportunities, like admin, cleaning, physiotherapy, dietary services, a whole different range. We've been to the hospital, the CFA, CPE, SES, a Cobram chef… heaps."
Contact
Janoel Liddy
Manager, Project Ready
E: janoel@centralrangesllen.org.au