Regional School Alumni Events Program

Program objective

The program will improve young people’s transition from school to work and further education by providing opportunities for them to hear from former students who have successfully navigated decisions related to study and training, finding work experience, and establishing a career.

The program is funded by the Department of Regional NSW in partnership with the Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) Program, NSW Department of Education.

This program is administered by Department of Education and Department of Regional NSW.

This program is funded by Department of Regional NSW.

Eligibility

Most recent recipients

What your application needs to include

After the application is submitted

Approval process

• The NSW Department of Education staff will assess event proposals against the program eligibility requirements
• Applications will be assessed on an ongoing basis, unless otherwise advised
• Schools will be notified in writing of the outcome
• Applications received after the program funds have been expended will not be approved. There are limited funds available for this program and the Department of Education has overall decision-making of successful event applications.

Event delivery

Successful applicants will be responsible for delivering approved events by 14 June 2024. In the event of COVID-19 restrictions or natural disasters impacting event delivery schools will be encouraged to reschedule the dates of planned events providing events are delivered prior to 14 June 2024.

Tips for organising an event

• Email invitations to alumni well in advance
• Identify whether any alumni are NSW Training Awards winners (State and/or Regional)
• Ensure the event is booked in your school calendar and catering, rooms, IT etc. are organised
• Brief students on what to ask so they get the most out of the occasion. 
• Consider breaking the event info focus groups for example:
  • Students wishing to attend university could have a Q&A session with Alumni who successfully graduated with a degree
  • Students wishing to follow a vocational pathway could have a Q&A session with Alumni who successful took this journey
  • Students wishing to go straight into the workforce could have a Q&A session with Alumni who accomplished this.
• Brief the Alumni about the event and ask them to talk about what school was like for them, what they initially wanted to do when they left secondary school, what further education or work pathway they ended up taking, and whether HSC was important to them
• Prepare a budget for the event with breakdown of costs and consider whether Alumni should be supported with travel and accommodation if travelling from outside the region
• Ensure alumni are warmly greeted and staff are across who is a previous student 
• Provide some delicious catering to make the event more enjoyable.

Reporting requirements

Successful applicants will be required to report on the event outcomes within 14 days after the event has occurred.

Support and contact