In just 8 weeks, your teen will gain the tools, mindset, and real-world experience to step into their first job with confidence. Through interactive sessions, group activities, and expert coaching backed by 30+ years in HR and leadership, this program bridges the gap between school and the workplace — giving teens clarity, capability, and a head start on their future.
The Key Staff Development program is designed to bridge the gap between school and the workplace. Over the course of structured sessions, teens learn how to present themselves professionally, manage challenges, and build the confidence they need to thrive in their first job and beyond. Backed by over 30 years of HR and leadership expertise, this program combines practical activities, self-awareness tools, and group learning to create lasting growth — for both teens and the parents who support them.
Session Description: Introduction to workplace policies and their importance, including Code of Conduct and first-day essentials like employee packs. Covers forms such as Tax, Superannuation, Payroll, OHS, Medical, Position Description, and Letter of Offer.
Session Objective: Understand Day 1 induction, become familiar with standard forms, and establish workplace expectations through policies like Code of Conduct.
Session Description: Introduction to the Iceberg Theory with activities that help students analyse their own behaviour and underlying drivers. Links to organisational policies such as harassment and bullying.
Session Objective: Build a foundation for understanding behaviour and values in organisations. Connect personal behaviour to workplace culture and policies.
Session Description: Introduction to organisational culture theory with activities linking culture to both individual and organisational values.
Session Objective: Impart an understanding of the key components of culture and encourage reflection on whether personal values align with workplace culture.
Session Description: Facilitator-led overview of planning concepts including SWOT, KPOs, KPIs, SMART goals, action plans, resourcing, risk management, and budgets. Option to explore financial aspects in greater detail.
Session Objective: Introduce the fundamental components of operational planning and expose students to high-level budget planning.
Session Description: Students identify core and transient values through a values card sort activity, with discussion on the origin and importance of values.
Session Objective: Increase self-awareness and help students understand how personal values influence behaviour, decisions, and perceptions of right/wrong.
Session Description: Introduction to emotions, including universal emotions and the difference between felt vs displayed emotions in the workplace. Includes a video and group discussion.
Session Objective: Help students identify emotions driving behaviour, learn to label and regulate them, and understand their impact on others at work, home, and school.
Session Description: Students explore the meaning of leadership beyond formal roles or power, considering it from personal and organisational perspectives. Activity includes interviewing others about leadership experiences.
Session Objective: Help students reflect on what leadership means to them, identify examples of effective leadership, and understand why they resonate.
Session Description: Students complete a leadership survey to discover their dominant style and discuss situational leadership. Includes activity on Manager vs Leader to compare skills and mindsets.
Session Objective: Build awareness of leadership styles and situational leadership. Understand differences between managing and leading, and when each approach is appropriate.
Session Description: Recap of key learnings followed by a workplace validation video and activity where students write validation letters for peers.
Session Objective: Develop skills in giving constructive feedback, recognise the power of validation, and apply learnings to workplace behaviours.
Session Description: Discussion on diversity and differences within groups, including cultural, linguistic, and family backgrounds. Activity helps students recognise unique traits among peers.
Session Objective: Enhance understanding of diversity, develop cultural awareness, and connect to workplace policies and responsibilities around inclusivity.
Session Description: Students complete the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Inventory (TKI) to assess their conflict style, share personal experiences, and explore alternative conflict resolution approaches.
Session Objective: Increase awareness of conflict styles, learn strategies for managing conflict, and understand workplace applications for resolving differences effectively.
Session Description: Discussion of different approaches and attitudes to work (Exit, Neglect, Voice, Loyalty), applied to both school and workplace settings.
Session Objective: Help students recognise their current work behaviours, assess their impact, and develop healthier approaches to tasks and responsibilities.
Session Description: Team quiz and video activity exploring generational differences, with analysis of how perspectives vary across decades.
Session Objective: Deepen understanding of generational behaviours in workplaces, highlight benefits and challenges of diverse viewpoints, and connect back to motivation, conflict, and values.
Session Description: Introduction to Stephen Covey’s Time Management model (4 quadrants) with an activity to create personal improvement plans.
Session Objective: Encourage reflection on personal time management, identify areas for growth, and understand workplace links to performance and expectations.
Session Description: Introduction to EQ theory, self-assessment, and discussion of results. Covers awareness of emotions, empathy, self-management, and relationship-building. Includes the Triune Brain theory and Amygdala Hijack activity.
Session Objective: Build understanding of EQ as a leadership skill, learn to regulate emotions, recognise triggers, and improve workplace collaboration.
Session Description: Exploration of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, discussion of motivation vs satisfaction, and completion of a motivation survey. Introduces the Circle of Control and Influence to differentiate what can/can’t be controlled.
Session Objective: Help students reflect on personal motivators, learn to focus on controllable factors, and strengthen leadership capacity through self-awareness.
Session Description: Overview of communication types, barriers, and strategies. Activities include a communication game and an assertiveness self-assessment.
Session Objective: Improve understanding of communication processes, reflect on personal communication style, and develop practical strategies for clearer workplace interactions.
Session Description: Students complete a learning styles inventory and review results. Facilitator explains the four learning styles with reference materials.
Session Objective: Increase self-awareness of learning and communication styles, adapt approaches to suit others, and reduce barriers when learning new content.
Session Description: Teams participate in a bike-building challenge with no instructions or tools, later learning the purpose was to donate bikes. Followed by reflections and group presentations.
Session Objective: Demonstrate teamwork principles such as shared purpose, planning, and collaboration. Provide hands-on experience of team dynamics and presentations.
Session Description: Students complete the Belbin Team Roles survey and discuss results. Additional discussion on external factors, culture, groupthink, and team size.
Session Objective: Provide insight into personal and team behaviours, highlight how different roles contribute to goals, and teach strategies to improve team effectiveness.
Session Description: Introduction to the TRAC model (Trust, Reliability, Autonomy, Confidence) with activities to strengthen workplace relationships.
Session Objective: Provide a framework for maintaining strong workplace relationships, link behaviours to expectations, and highlight the impact of trust and reliability.
Session Description: Students create a stakeholder map, assess relationship health, and discuss networking strategies as part of induction.
Session Objective: Teach students the importance of building and maintaining professional networks for future opportunities.
Session Description: Students reflect on personal changes made, then research companies to analyse how they manage change and success.
Session Objective: Introduce continuous improvement concepts, encourage ongoing self-improvement, and provide examples of how businesses adapt to change.
Session Description: Experiential activity where students face small unexpected changes, followed by discussion of emotions and behaviours linked to change. Introduces change management models.
Session Objective: Help students reflect on their responses to change, recognise behavioural triggers, and learn strategies for managing change effectively in the workplace.
Spaces are limited to small groups to ensure every teen gets the attention they deserve. Secure your place today and help your teen build the confidence, skills, and readiness to thrive in the workplace — while giving yourself peace of mind that they’re prepared for what’s ahead.
Just pop in a few quick details and join the waitlist today. No pressure, no commitment — you’ll simply be the first to know when the next small-group program opens. Spots are limited, so securing your place early makes all the difference.