Cobram students explore Melbourne’s academic and corporate world

As part of an exciting initiative to expose them to a range of career opportunities, 20 students from Cobram Secondary College embarked on a camp to Melbourne last week.

The camp exposed the high-achieving year seven and eight students to a range of career possibilities and included visits to several universities and leading professional services company, GHD.

Teach For Australia Alumnus and the High Abilities Co-Ordinator at Cobram Secondary College, George Allen, said he created the camp to allow students to consider their options.

“My main motivation for running things like this is to encourage educational aspiration but also to bridge the gap that exists for regional students getting into tertiary education and dispel the idea that universities are just for ‘rich kids in the city’,” Mr Allen said.

“If they choose to go to university or not is not my primary concern, but I do want them to make an informed decision about their future. Opting not to go to uni because they don’t know what that means, doesn’t serve their best interests.”

During the camp, students gained valuable insights from GHD employees, hearing about potential career paths, and saw firsthand the innovative projects undertaken by the GHD team.

They also explored the realm of higher education at Swinburne and Monash Universities and got a glimpse into RMIT’s efforts championing women in STEM.

Mr Allen, who is also a science teacher at Cobram Secondary College, brings unique expertise to the classroom from his previous career as a Lab Manager in mines in the Pilbara and Canada.

“TFA gave me the opportunity to get into teaching – I wouldn’t have made the switch without it,” Mr Allen continued.

“My values align closely with educational equity and with TFA and the wider community, you have the scope to make the change even broader. This is my third year of running the camp and each year it’s getting slightly bigger and better.”

As a testament to his unwavering commitment to his students, Allen was also recently awarded one of The Educator Online Rising Star’s The Top Teachers and Educators in Australia Under 35 for 2024.

The award acknowledges hard work, emotional intelligence, knowledge, a solid education, and a long-term commitment to the same employer.

Although the award is a welcome recognition for Allen, his main motivation for being a dedicated teacher comes from the difference he is making to his students’ lives.

“I love working with the kids. They’re weird and wonderful but so full of possibility and I get to help shape their future. I still have students who’ve previously attended the camp, talking about wanting to go to university. It’s so inspiring.”

“Promoting STEM careers for students from a diverse range of backgrounds is something that benefits our industry and the broader community, and it was a pleasure to host the students from Cobram recently,” said Clair Millar, Global Lead – GHD in the Community.

“It was clear many of the students found the wide variety of career options on offer in our industry quite eye-opening, and I know our employees also found the experience very rewarding.”