IBM SkillsBuild x Crazy Ideas College 2024 Programs

Supporting young people across Australia and New Zealand to cultivate leadership qualities, develop bold career aspirations and leverage technology to do crazy good in the world - at no cost to schools!

In partnership with IBM SkillsBuild, we invite your school to participate in a Crazy Ideas College (CIC) program in 2024.

There are four programs for schools to select from and each program engages students as active thinkers and learners.

Programs include:

  • Lead4impact: Yr 10-12

  • Future Ready: Yr 9-12

  • Cyber-Lab: Yr 7-9

  • Values in Action: Yr 7-10

CIC can work with multiple year groups within your school and help select the best program for each group in line with student needs and broader school priorities

How are the programs delivered? 

  • All programs are delivered in person by CIC facilitators who model and scaffold each activity for students

  • Programs are delivered as either a single or double period and are designed for whole year levels to complete.

Lead4impact

Best fit year levels: Years 10-12

Highlights four aspects of leadership that help students lead and act in ways that are consistent with their values and strengths. By building a shared understanding of leadership, student leaders collaborate more effectively and draw on each other’s talents.

  • Leadership and the self

  • Leading with others

  • Making a positive impact

  • Leadership tools and practices

Things to note: 

  • L4i is a great program for Yr 11’s to complete as a whole cohort to kick-start school leadership conversations

Cyber-Lab

Best fit year levels: Years 7-9

Students learn about emerging technology and develop strategies for staying safe and secure online. Students have fun developing their online brand. Their brand allows them to show up as a good digital citizen and showcases their skills, passions, talents, and vocational interests.

  • Explore the world of online possibilities

  • Learn practical ways to stay cyber safe

  • Earn micro-credentials online

Future Ready

Best fit year levels: Years 10-12

Enables young people to explore the future world of work, clarify their talents, consider career options and identify the contribution they want to make in the world. Learners establish a Future Ready Plan that outlines the skills, capacities and networks they wish to develop.

  • Explore the future world of work

  • Clarify talents and interests

  • Envisage a bright future

  • Develop a future ready plan 

Things to note: 

  • FR compliments careers and pathways activity. Oftentimes schools run FR to kick-start subject selection

Values in action

Best fit year levels: Years 7-10

Challenges students to explore personal values and reflect on what matters in their own lives and in their community. This program connects students to the best version of themselves and identifies the actions that will lead them there.

  • Personal values exploration

  • Building an understanding of school values

  • Reflection and building a ’values in action’ plan

See it in action!

Gaining access to IBM SkillsBuild.

 IBM SkillsBuild is a completely free digital learning and micro-credentials platform which contains hundreds of short courses for students to choose from. Courses fall into two categories:

  1. Tech/digital skills (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI)

  2. Workplace skills (e.g., job readiness)

-              As part of the program, students will be set up on IBM SB, and are required to complete a short course before the workshop.

-              There are no costs associated with IBM SkillsBuild.

-              The platform allows educators to set learning tasks for students and upload their learning assignments.

-              Students can use SkillsBuild to gather micro-credentials and digital badges at any time they wish after they are signed up.

Testimonials

Jade Moffat, Corporate Social Responsibility Lead - IBM A/NZ

“The activities we did really engaged the mind and helped us think about our futures. My favourite part of the session was creating a superhero and giving it powers that will be useful for the future. This activity was very interactive, and we really got the grasp of values and traits that would be amazing to have in our kit.”

 

Aden, Yr 12 Leader

“My favourite takeaways from this program was the fun and specific tailoring that it provided for school aged leaders, a program that I found to be relevant, inclusive and informative. The Lead4Impact program allowed us to show our creativity whilst also getting to know one another, helping us grow closer as a group. L4i supported us to set important goals for the coming year, setting us up for success and getting us to look at the bigger picture as leaders rather than focusing on our day-to-day roles as individuals.”

 

Michael Ivancic -  Leader of Learning for Transition and Pathways - St Gregory’s College – Campbelltown NSW

“I love partnering up with Crazy Ideas College. They are so professional, knowledgeable, and passionate. I apologise for being so involved in the program because I love it so much. Kudos to you for the fantastic work. I think it's important for our students to get involved with this because they hear a lot from me about this kind of stuff. It's fantastic to have somebody else who is like-minded and passionate to talk to them about various topics, careers, and things that are happening. Having a partner in that journey of raising these young students is fabulous, and Crazy Ideas College has been unbelievable to partner with. If you're another school looking for a way to take your pastoral care program, your careers program, or your transition program to the next level, having a supplier like Crazy Ideas College is fantastic because A) They're professional, B) They've got the resources to deliver on the objectives, and C) You can't do it yourself. We need expertise around us to do it, and I've found everyone from Zoe, to Anthony, to Zali, was fantastic to deal ash, and the boys engaged.It was a fantastic event for us.”