School experiences
There are two school experiences available through the Infrastructure Pathways Program:
Executive for a Day
A one day student leadership program offering insight into the diverse leadership roles in infrastructure.
Students in Year 10 and Year 11 meet with senior staff at School Infrastructure to hear about the opportunities, challenges and decisions that executive leaders are presented with daily in delivering public schools
The one-day experiences includes reviewing these decisions in context of major school infrastructure projects and considerations impacting their own schools.
Executive for a Day: Education Week 2025
What do you need to consider when remodelling an operational school? Answer: ask a student.
This year for Education Week (4-8 August), School Infrastructure invited 15 students from five Sydney secondary schools to identify steps, stages and conflicting priorities for the remodelling of a Pre K to Year 6, inner-city school on a 150-year-old site, without relocating the teachers and students.
Working as the ‘Executive leaders’ the students considered the challenges of creating a landmark-designed school that also met teaching and learning needs, while keeping the power on and the plumbing flowing.
Luckily, they were able to ‘phone a friend’. Acting Deputy Secretary, Lisa Harrington, and the entire Executive Leadership team shared their insights and experiences of realising this exact same scenario – the redevelopment of Darlington Public School.
Darlington Public School won the Building of the Year in the 2024 World Architectural Festival and is a winner in the 2025 International Architecture Awards.
Schools attending E4AD were: Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design, East Hills Girls Technology High School, Gymea Technology High School, St George Girls High School and Sydney Technical High School.
School Infrastructure Work Experience
A three-day opportunity for Year 10 students to engage in hands-on, practical exercises designed to showcase the varied opportunities in the infrastructure sector beyond construction and trade jobs.
Students explores skills and associated qualifications associated with project management, construction management, civil and structural engineering, service planning, sustainability, and property development.
Industry professionals and leaders from different fields of infrastructure lead workshops and sessions to ensure students gain exposure to the public sector and some understanding of the different roles.
Contact
NSW Secondary public schools can email SchoolInfrastructurePathways@det.nsw.edu.au for more information on these opportunities.