About

Youth2Industry College helps secondary students aged 15-19 years develop the skills and knowledge needed to have fulfilling lives and careers.

Let us help you plan a future to be excited about while
you complete your secondary school studies.

Our values and philosophy

How we treat each other says everthing about who we are and what we value. We stand for:

  • Resilience
  • Inclusion
  • Perseverance
  • Empathy

Our Philosophy helps students strive for success and achieve their full potential:

Our approach to education is student-centred and strength-based. There is a heightened awareness of, and commitment to, personalised and differentiated learning and support for every student to succeed.

We believe implicitly in a holistic approach to education, engagement and wellbeing that will allow development and progress in our students’ attitudes, behaviours, and education goals.

We aspire to build students’ employability skills through experiential and integrated learning practices. We value achievement, curiosity, perseverance and responsibility.

We provide opportunities for real world exposure to work and workplaces to support informed career choices and exploration of current and emerging industry pathways.

We embed a culture of child safety and ensure the learning environment is safe and supportive, where their voice is heard and considered.

We ensure that our College programs and supports are respectful and inclusive. We do not repeat previous experiences of educational exclusion – we make use of students’ energy, creativity, and uniqueness.

The Y2IC Experience

It starts with your surroundings.

We want you to feel comfortable here. We are located opposite the beautiful Albert Park Lake, which we encourage you to enjoy.

Our environment is sensory-senstive, combining more traditional classroom learning with a large breakout area and includes self-regulation zones, small, shared escape spaces and a mindfulness room with a self-care wellness station.

We aim to create an environment that is safe, and understanding and responsive to the needs of each student.

We keep our student numbers purposely small to enable us to effectively form close relationships with each student, supporting them to develop their skills and identify their goals.

Thanks to our partnership with SecondBite, we are able to offer a free breakfast and lunch program to our students.

More than a school, we are a community where everyone is respected and able to be themselves.

We are all about giving you the support and space to learn, become confident in yourself and your abilities.

Meet Our Principal, Tom Witenden

Appointed as the Principal of Youth2Industry College at the beginning of 2024, Tom brings a wealth of experience, supported with university qualifications in commerce, education, leadership and management. For over a decade Tom has enjoyed leading, educating, learning from and learning with young people, particularly those with added situational and personal challenges and vulnerabilities.

Tom is driven by seeing young people feel empowered and proud. He believes in building positive relationships, in providing opportunities that are relevant and connected and in the power of mastery, autonomy and purpose. His approach is trauma informed, strength focused and based on restorative principles.  

What gets Tom motivated? A quote from Rob Hopkins sums it up perfectly – “If you design a system to do something specific, don’t be surprised if it does it” (Hopkins, 2019). I truly believe that there has never been a more important time to rehumanize education, to reshape the narrative, and to give our young people the tools to do it.

Youth2Industry College Board

Tracey Fenton

Chairperson

Trish van Lint

Deputy Chairperson

Trevor Ryan

Treasurer

Brighdie O’Dwyer

Secretary

Mandy Ellwood

Yun Sheng Chin

Sophie Keele

Sheridan White

Carmel Nielsen