Enterprise Schools

An interview with Dr Joe Agostino, Director at FM Recycling, about the value of the Enterprise Schools Program.

From L to R: Chris Todorovski (FM Recycling), Peter Meehan (Cleeland Secondary College), Joe Agostino and Alex Rosenlis (FM Recycling) and Verne Simmons (Cleeland Secondary College) launching Enterprise Schools at Cleeland Secondary College in Dandenong, Victoria.

Gould Group’s Enterprise Schools Program sees students operate in-school enterprising community recycling ventures that contribute to charities, potentially raise money for the schools and provide invaluable vocational training and business skills, particularly for middle years students. Students are provided with opportunities to develop leadership, entrepreneurial and business skills in a real business environment. Project partners are FM Recycling and VISY Recycling. An initial pilot project in five schools has been funded by the Department of Education, Science and Technology.

FM Recycling plays a mentor role for the students as well as supplying logistics and bins for the schools to collect material. We spoke to Dr Joe Agostino, Director at FM Recycling, about Enterprise Schools.

“My experience with students and the recycling industryinspired me [to work with Gould Group on Enterprise Schools], as it was an opportunity to get students involved in real life change situations. The project has now taken on a life of its own.”

As part of the Enterprise Schools project, students take a tour of FM Recycling’s Thomastown facility. There the students are exposed to the magnitude of the donated goods operation. A huge factory floor is wall to wall donated goods of all kinds with staff sorting, grading and baling the unwanted portion of one group’s lives to add value to others’. In adjoining areas, there are floor to ceiling bales of goods ready for Op Shops locally or overseas markets.

"This single day has the potential to create excellent opportunities for the future and create a platform for a solid business opportunity for the school. … It is important to give the kids their head and create an innovative environment,” said Joe.

"After the students have a site tour of the Thomastown facility it seems to get their minds ticking and they start to generate all sorts of ideas. Originally it started as solving issues around the charity bins, however, the students are looking outside of that border and we are discussing marketing, alternative technologies, waste to energy issues, career opportunities, engaging industry stakeholders, targeting specific products and the challenge of maintaining local employment and process efficiency.

“This project has really created a platform for students to experience real life business challenges outside of the classroom. This will provide invaluable opportunities to understand real life business problems, challenges, solutions, stakeholder relationships, financial models, innovation, politics and actual change programs. This will prepare students in a way they could not possibly experience in a text book. It may lead to new career opportunities and indeed inspire some budding entrepreneurs who will create alternative technologies and businesses in the future. “

Joe is keen to see the pilot expanded, “We would like to see this project implemented in every school into the future. This should become a permanent part of the curriculum to provide real life experience to students with business potential. This provides the opportunity to integrate education with the entire community.”