Sam Devlin, CEO and co-founder of The Careers Department, has dedicated her career to empowering students with the knowledge to succeed in their dream career by breaking down the barriers to learning.
Face-to-face work experience is not always an accessible or available option for every school student. That’s why The Careers Department offer programs to ‘solve this problem in a contemporary way’ says Sam. Through their online platform, students can complete learning modules that combine real insight and experience from industry employers, with a digital learning space, allowing students to test different workplaces virtually.
In 2025, The Careers Department signed the NSW Digital Skills and Workforce Compact 20% Alternative Pathways Pledge, – a commitment that 20% of their organisation’s digital entry-level hires will come from non-traditional pathways by 2030.
Since signing on to the Compact, The Careers Department has continued to deliver student workshops nationwide, inspiring interest in careers of the future through immersive, full-day experiences. Most recently, the team delivered a custom designed UX/UI experience for Year 10 Computing Technology students from Cumberland High School and Gosford High School.
The workshop provided students with the opportunity to explore the skills necessary for a career in technology through virtual learning. Using the digital module template developed by The Careers Department, students designed user flows, created wireframes, and built interactive prototypes.
Nivanthi Reji, Careers Adviser from Cumberland High School, said the workshops were engaging and impactful ‘The Careers Department helped the students see the connections between the skills they are learning and the real-world’.
‘It was an eye-opener for the students to understand the skills that are necessary for careers in technologies and the expectations of industries in an increasingly digital landscape,’ Nivanthi said.
She went on to say ‘[there is] support from parents too because we are always talking about how we can prepare students for the future.’
Speaking to Sam, she said that these workshops ‘allow students to test their aptitude and interest in industries in a contemporary and engaging way.’
‘Through the platform, we provide customised, individualised learning that fits the students’ interest and high school learning space.’
Through industry-school partnerships, The Careers Department is showing how student workshops can transform career education by bringing industry aligned learning into classrooms, enabling students to explore industries in real time and build a career-ready portfolio.