Artwork by Taylah Thompson, Skillset Senior College Alumni.
Who we are
Skillset Senior College is an innovative, independent senior school for students in Years 10-12, with campuses in Bathurst and Dubbo. Our mission is to partner with young people who may be experiencing barriers to their education; including mental health issues, bullying, homelessness, trauma, substance use, disability and family instability, and to support them to complete their secondary schooling. In attaining a RoSA (Year 10) or HSC (Year 12), our students gain significant traction on the pathway to employment or further education.
Engagement through relationship
Through our approach of promoting ‘engagement through relationship’ in our small school environment, we have successfully transformed the school experience for a growing number of young people across the Central West. Our dedicated and passionate team of staff take a strengths-based, solution-focussed approach to education, and the results speak volumes. Many of our students are the first in their family to attain a school qualification, and students themselves will often tell us that they didn’t realise how highly they could achieve until they found the support of Skillset Senior College.
In the words of our students: “Skillset Senior College helps every single individual no matter who or what they are…” “… our school is more like family.”
Kindness, Courage, Consideration
We focus on the key areas of kindness, courage and consideration, encouraging our young people to commit to learning and becoming the best version of themselves that they can be. Our school is conducting research to support our innovative approach, and is dedicated to becoming a leader in the field through:
- Developing strategies to promote student and staff wellbeing
- Partnering with other evidence-based approaches
- Communicating our approach to other educational organisations
Our approach is defined by being:
Strengths-based
Student-centred
Solution-focused
Our Vision
Our students come to us with varied – and sometimes very challenging – stories. The most rewarding part of being involved with the work of Skillset Senior College is the privilege of walking beside our young people as they write their next chapter. Our vision for them is that they would be empowered to achieve their ‘best future imaginable’.