The opportunities and experiences the Neil Porter Legacy has given our students are significant and long-lasting. The NPL’s ability to facilitate real world industry immersion working together with schools, who have limited capacity to do so, creates meaningful exposure of the working world, careers and pathways for all students, at all schools.

The NPL, driven expertly by Matt, is an invaluable community resource which whilst having an impact on student aspiration and self-efficacy, will in turn have a lasting impact on our region.

Kerry Cheeseman, Warrnambool College, Career Practitioner 

The NPL has provided a well needed conduit between industry, teachers and secondary students. They have provided an incredible service that has broken down the barriers to getting students out and around our local businesses. Using their contacts and meticulous planning skills, the NPL makes it easy to get students out of their schools and exploring the opportunities for employment and further education that exist within our local community. The NPL’s no fuss approach, professionalism and creativity has provided students in my classes some brilliant exposure to local industry which has led to school-based work placements and holiday work. This has been brilliant for the young people and businesses involved.

The NPL is passionate about local industry and through their connections they continue to work with students, educators and businesses to help all parties prosper and we look forward to many more experiences like the ones we’ve had.

Ben McKenzie, Metal Fabrication and Woodwork teacher, Emmanuel College

The NPL has been extensively involved in our careers program over the past couple of years. It has been instrumental in connecting industry to the classroom and in providing many opportunities for our students. They have worked with almost every Key Learning Area at Brauer organising multiple guest speakers and industry visits for students from a range of year levels.

The work of the NPL has engaged parents with information nights and also activities for teachers to expand their understanding of careers related to their teaching area. Activities have also extended beyond the south-west with the NPL providing an excursion to an expo in Melbourne for female students interested in a career in trades or technology. The work of the NPL has raised the profile of careers education in the south-west and has delivered many positive outcomes for students, parents and industry.

Iain Jackson, Brauer College, Careers Adviser

We have been very lucky to work with the Neil Porter Legacy on several projects across the 2022 school year. The Neil Porter Legacy has been a huge support in the provision of career and work readiness programs. They have been instrumental in the development of innovative projects that have created links between schools and local businesses, creating improved connections in the community, enhancing student awareness of jobs in the region, exposing students to the range of tasks required to manage a business, and highlighting the role of mathematics and science in local industry.

The Neil Porter Legacy has been an excellent collaborator.  They have listened closely to the needs of schools in creating projects and worked hard to engage with local businesses.  They have been professional and reliable in all their dealings with our school.  The Neil Porter Legacy has always demonstrated a commitment to the improvement of student outcomes.  The needs of students are central to everything they do and they have consistently planned their projects with care and compassion for students.

We greatly appreciate the support Neil Porter Legacy has provided our students. 

Jason Beveridge, Cobden Technical School, Careers Co-Ordinator

I want to sincerely thank the Neil Porter Legacy for your support of our students, school and the wider community. Honestly your work provided the most significant connection to industry and enables us where we wouldn’t otherwise be able to!

Shelli Rantall, Warrnambool College, Hands On Learning Leader

The NPL emailed me about several opportunities for student placements in local businesses. After reading the email, I sent a Year 11 VCAL student for a trial to Norton Motor Group. The student was successful in securing a school-based apprenticeship, which was so pleasing. He currently attends SWTAFE Year 1 automotive once a week. Norton’s have been very good to work with.

Thanks to the NPL for advertising this position. The student is thrilled, a great outcome!

I was also a member of the brilliant industry tour conducted by the NPL. As part of that tour, I saw the inner workings of Norton Motor Group and met Marcus Norton and other employees. This gave me prior knowledge of the business where I was placing the student and made the process so much easier.

Rose Henry, Mercy Regional College, Senior School Administrator

The Neil Porter Legacy enabled one class of our Year 8 Tech Taster students to visit AutoMech and WMI and another class to see Stephenson’s Kitchens and Southern Victorian Plumbing/SWTAFE Industry Training Centre. These businesses took the time to speak with and show our students around their premises giving them invaluable insight into automotive and engineering industries. We often say that our students ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ and this excursion really helped the students to understand the different careers that they could get into in these industries.

Russell Moody, Brauer College, Teacher

We have worked with the NPL a number of times to source engaging and relevant speakers and excursions for our students. Each time we have found them to be professional and successful as a teaching and learning resource. The NPL are always ready to help out and visit and they have lots of useful ideas and contacts. This is an excellent resource for schools to connect their students with the ‘real world’ and I highly recommend it.

Leanne Hampson, Brauer College, Head of Humanities

The work that the Neil Porter Legacy does is such a valuable service to local students, businesses and the community. Providing students opportunities to explore career options that they may otherwise not be offered allows them to plan for their future beyond school. The engagement with local businesses opens the students’ eyes to prospective employers and gives businesses the opportunity to present great employment options. Approximately 50% of the roles within our business are not traditionally promoted to student as career options and the NPL has allowed us to inform the students of these roles. Keep up the great work.

Liam Currer, Madden’s Lawyers, General Manager

South West Healthcare is proud to work with the Neil Porter Legacy to highlight the multitude of roles that are available locally for every skill level. Hospitals are not just full of doctors and nurses; we operate as a small community with a large variety of roles across many trades and professions.  Our staff includes local people as well as newcomers to town in support of our regional community. After lockdown we look forward to showcasing our organisation to secondary school students, to offer them opportunities they may never have considered.

Craig Fraser, Chief Executive Officer, South West Healthcare 

Midfield is fully committed to the Neil Porter Legacy as I was in the very first intake with Neil when I was a student of his at Brauer College. I can say I would have left school if not for Neil’s guidance and support as he facilitated me to gain real life experiences whilst still at school and make informed decisions as to what I might or might not want to do with my life without committing to an employer at a very young age. Additionally the skills I developed during this period have greatly assisted me to this day as I would not have learnt these in a classroom.

Dean McKenna, General Manager, Midfield Meats

As a supporting business of the Neil Porter Legacy, I would like to acknowledge the great work the NPL completes within our community.

Carter Group National is owned by directors who exited the traditional school system at age 14 and 16 and have grown to develop as brilliant entrepreneurs, therefore presenting that there is a career for people of all learning capabilities and interests is a special interest of our business.

The Neil Porter Legacy has introduced secondary school students to our business. This has been done through initiatives such as showcasing how mathematics is used within our work environment of traffic management through tailored school visits. The NPL has also presented that the civil construction industry is a positive career opportunity for all genders, especially empowering women to enter the industry with optimism.

Carter Group National is proud to support the Neil Porter Legacy and has found this engagement to be extremely rewarding.

Karis Britton, Carter Group, General Manager

The South West Skills and Job Centre are thrilled to work with The Neil Porter Legacy. The work being done by the foundation to give young people in our region exposure to a range of future career options is invaluable for them as they navigate career options. This work is crucial as young people are increasingly finding it more challenging to navigate the current world of work. The positive buy in from such a broad range of industries is testament to the need.

Michael Absalom, Careers Practitioner, South West Skills and Job Centre

We are a global manufacturing business established in 2005 & operating in Warrnambool, Victoria.

Our business manufactures the K9000 Dog Wash & Bike Wash and each of these products are shipped worldwide.

Even though we are a relatively small operation we struggle to attract staff because our business is outside the lanes of the regular known trades. Production in our factory primarily involves, engineering, plumbing, electrical, graphics, welding & general assembly. Our engineering apprentices usually touch on all these areas of production daily.

For years I have been in direct contact with the schools, some of the schools were very helpful although a majority of the time doors were shut. Having the opportunity to work with the NPL means our business has an opportunity to showcase what we do & explain the direction of our business. Having the opportunity to host teachers & students in our factory gives us an exciting edge that we didn’t have before.

The world of employment has evolved into something unrecognisable and extremely difficult to navigate, because of this we are exploring new & innovative ways to attract prospective employees – the NPL has opened that door for us.

Kate Darmanin, K9000 Dog Wash, Owner and Manager

The true value of the Neil Porter Legacy is intangibly vast. Exposing our students to real world applications of their education generates interest, fosters creativity, and unlocks a new appreciation for that education. It creates a spark of curiosity that could smoulder into a lifelong passion or career. NPL also simultaneously introduces students to an incredibly diverse collection of local businesses who are eager to work and help develop potential future employees. As we work and live in regional Victoria with an increasing deficit of skilled labour, we eagerly welcome NPL and their efforts to connect the next generation of people who will be entering the workforce with local employers. We were extremely happy to participate in their Who’s the Boss Program and would gladly participate in any other program that they run.

Rob Obermeyer, GreenCon, Project Manager

Whilst still in its infancy, the Neil Porter Legacy is already taking educators and students from their classrooms and exposing them to opportunities available in the real world. During the field trips students can see and understand the relevancy of the concepts and topics they learn in the classroom with real life applications that can only enrich their appreciation of pathways available to them. Sharing these prospects and experiences will equip teachers to help provide more guidance to students and their families as they navigate a rapidly evolving work environment. 

Andrea Vallance, Timboon Agriculture Project (TAP) Coordinator

The industry tour day offered amazing insights to the many local career opportunities that exist for our young people. The opportunity to network and collaborate on strategies for authentically engaging our young people with real life work experiences has been invaluable! An incredibly well organised and hosted event!

Jordan Smith, Warrnambool College VCAL teacher