“In order to thrive in a rapidly changing world students are going to need enterprise skills, such a critical thinking, innovation and adaptability. Our goal is to provide these skills so our students are ready to shape their futures, not simply respond to them”Mia Haravitsidis, Head of Innovation & Entrepreneurship
The world of work is changing rapidly. The World Economic Forum found that By 2030, an estimated 170 million new jobs will be created globally, many in industries and roles that do not yet exist. To prepare students for this future, schools must do more than deliver academic knowledge. They must equip young people with the skills, mindset and confidence to adapt, lead and innovate.
At Haileybury, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is about far more than starting a business. It is about developing the capabilities students need to thrive in a fast-changing world. Through these programs, students build essential skills including problem solving, creative and critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability and calculated risk taking.
Our goal is to nurture students who are enterprising in the fullest sense of the word. Students who can recognise opportunity, respond to challenges with initiative and create meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
While entrepreneurship is not always taught explicitly in the early years, many of its foundations are embedded across the curriculum. Students build financial literacy through Mathematics and explore how their passions can create positive change in the community. Through inquiry learning, passion projects, clinics and outreach activities, students begin connecting purpose with action while developing creativity, problem solving and initiative.
Through the Thrive program, students develop financial and vocational capabilities through hands on learning. Students learn budgeting, earning and managing money, product design, customer engagement and investment fundamentals. They also complete real world projects including designing products for major retailers, creating arcade games and showcasing innovative upcycling solutions, helping them build creativity, teamwork and entrepreneurial thinking.
As part of Curious Minds, the $20 Boss program gives students the opportunity to turn an idea into a real business. Working in teams, students receive $20 in seed funding to develop, launch and sell their products or services. Through this authentic entrepreneurial experience, students learn about innovation, marketing, budgeting and customer engagement while bringing their ideas to life.
Startup is a compulsory Year 8 subject that introduces students to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Through design thinking, product development and venture creation, students learn how to identify problems, generate ideas and develop innovative solutions. The program culminates in a startup pitch competition, with students presenting their ventures for the opportunity to secure $1000 seed funding to bring their ideas to life.
Social Impact Ventures is a semester based elective that challenges students to apply entrepreneurial thinking to real world social issues. Working in teams, students investigate challenges such as education, health, poverty and sustainability before designing initiatives that create meaningful impact. The subject develops empathy, leadership and problem solving while demonstrating how enterprise can be a powerful force for positive change.
In Senior School, enterprise and entrepreneurship continue through a range of clubs and societies that allow students to pursue their interests in a practical, self directed way. Examples of enterprise related societies include Everyday Chef, Bar and Barista, Space Society and Law Society. Through these experiences, students gain valuable exposure to industry relevant skills while continuing to strengthen the communication, leadership and problem solving capabilities that will support them well beyond school.
At Haileybury, we imagine every student graduating with more than a VCE certificate. We want them to leave school with meaningful experience, whether that is involvement in a startup, an industry recognised credential or a breakthrough innovation of their own.
To thrive in a rapidly changing world, students will need more than academic success. They will need creativity, adaptability, initiative and the confidence to lead. Through Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Haileybury is committed to ensuring students graduate ready to shape the future, not simply respond to it.
Haileybury’s Industry Partnerships program gives Year 12 students practical experience in careers they hope to pursue. By organising placements, students build initiative and gain real-world insights. Experiences in healthcare and finance helped Laura and Hamish strengthen career goals, develop professional skills and connect classroom learning ...
DISCOVER MORECurious Minds brings together co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and LEAP (Literature, Entrepreneurship, Arts and Politics).
DISCOVER MOREBoutique Bliss created personalised jewellery and bag charms, combining teamwork, creativity, customer satisfaction, and organised packaging with strong financial management. The team enjoyed seeing happy customers, learned collaboration, and made meaningful, unique products that reflected care, style, and thoughtful design while building practi...
Forever Flowers was a business created by Eden, Simran, Sophie and Charlize after Eden’s handmade birthday gift inspired the group. Using pipe cleaners, skewers, hot glue and tape, they made decorative flowers while sharing production and marketing roles. Through the project, they developed new skills and learnt audience-focused entrepreneurship...
After months of hard work, our year 8 students from Haileybury Brighton brought their products to sell at the 2025 Makers Market day. As a part of the process the students learned about customer discovery, coming up with value propositions and learning how to market their products.
Each year, Haileybury’s Year 8 students work on a business idea they have created from scratch as part of the School’s popular StartUp program. At the end of the year, the best business idea from each campus, chosen by students, competes in the StartUp Pitch Showcase. We reveal this year's winners of the highly anticipated StartUp Showcase.
Year 8 student, Oliver, has an eye for fashion and an entrepreneurial mind and he has brought both talents together to create his own clothing business, Verve & Edge.
Haileybury Edrington (Berwick) LEAP Captains coordinated a Senior School ‘Shark Tank’ event to encourage and empower their fellow students to become agents of change, choosing a community issue and creating an innovative and entrepreneurial idea with real impact that could be scooped up by the ‘Sharks’.
Haileybury City Year 8 girls pitched their Start Up project called ‘Colour by mas’ at the recent UpSchool Interschool Pitch Finals Competition at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship and won the People’s Choice and overall award.
Six teams from our Melbourne campuses and Haileybury Rendall School in Darwin pitched their unique business ideas relating to current social issues, such as mental health support, apps connecting the elderly with jobs, genuine information on student demand, and time management tools for students.
As part of our Curious Minds program, the Haileybury Model UN was a whirlwind of diplomacy, collaboration and global problem-solving with over 75 students attending from across our five campuses (Melbourne and Haileybury Pangea).
Our Haileybury Middle School students recently participated in the inaugural Melbourne event of The Big Ideas Challenge roadshow, presented by Future Thinking.
Our Year 5 students had a super busy start to Term 3 2023 when Thrive kicked off with ‘The Brief’, a Miniboss-led incursion, launching our Vocational Capability unit.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Haileybury acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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