Students from Melbourne’s west were given the opportunity to explore Edlyn Foods facility in Epping as part of The Smith Family’s Work Inspiration Reach Out program.
It’s been a long awaited 18-months for the food distributor to be able to open its factory and kitchen to students from one of The Smith Family’s partner schools.
Donned in white lab coats and hair nets, students were given a full tour of the facility from the administration building through to their state-of-the-art factory and storage rooms.
Ajnet, 15, hopes to one day have a career in psychology or forensic science, having migrated with her family to Australia from Macedonia at 10-years-old.
“Today’s given us all a lot to think about. When you see a product on the shelf you never stop to think about all the work, the planning and the hours and the amount of effort that goes into getting it there,” she said.
“These are opportunities I never would have had before moving to Australia.”
Edlyn chief executive Amir Arjmand said the program was close to the business’s heart.
“As a business we wanted to be able to give more beyond sponsorships of local sports teams and community groups,” Mr Arjmand said.
“Work Inspiration provides us with an avenue to connect with young people and show them there are pathways open to them once they have left school.”
The Smith Family corporate partnerships manager Marietta Asaad said the program allowed students to explore all career options possible.
“The important thing about Work Inspiration Reach Out is that organisations like Edlyn get an opportunity not only to showcase their organisation to the workforce of tomorrow, but they are also able to break down the barriers of working for these students (who are in a pivotal age where they are starting to think about their next steps and post school options),” Ms Asaad said.
“Corporates organise interactive activities which opens their mind about different possibilities for their career trajectory that they may not have thought about before (or industries they had never considered through school).”
