For immediate release: Tuesday November 24, 2020

Grand Company Announcement: 

Grandshake and Inland Rail partner to give school students free access to virtual work experience in high-demand STEM and rail careers.

Grandshake today announced the launch of Grand Opportunities, a regional skills initiative delivered in partnership with Inland Rail that gives secondary schools an opportunity to engage with major regional employers and provide their students with meaningful virtual work experiences.

“The Inland Rail Project promises to have a significant impact on local economies along the proposed route”, Andrew Pierpoint President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association said.

He went on to say,

‍“that because of these potential economic impacts, it is imperative that schools around the proposed route utilise this in the delivery of a wholistic education package”.

Grandshake founder and CEO, Dhawal Nayak said, 

“There’s no end to the career advice available to students. Yet it’s incredibly difficult for them to get practical experience or connect with people in the industry. This is especially true for schools and students in rural and regional areas who have to overcome COVID restrictions, physical distance and limited access to employer networks. Grand Opportunities was designed to remove these barriers”. 

Grandshake provides high schools with free access to industry-led, work experience programs that are accessible online and on-demand. Mr Nayak says it’s a game changer for schools.

‍“We want to make it easier for schools to work with industry to provide practical skill development and mentoring opportunities to their students. Grand Opportunities does that.”

Rebecca Pickering, Director of Engagement, Environment & Property at ARTC said, 

‍“The Inland Rail Skills Academy works with industry partners to deliver programs that build skills and prosperity in our local communities, regions and around Australia. We are working with Grandshake to help raise school student awareness and capability in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers that are needed now and into the future”.

“We invite schools to partner with us to help build our future workforce together.”

Educators across Australia are being invited to register as a school partner. Partnership is free and benefits include:

• 18 month partnership with Grandshake - unlocking access to virtual work experience programs from Inland Rail and our partners across Agriculture, Infrastructure, Environment and Social Development.
• Digital, employer-certified microcredential for students to add to their resume or work experience. 

Grandshake is on a social mission to bridge the gap between education and real-life work experience for students. Grandshake exists to help students figure out what’s next before they leave school. 

Inland Rail is a 1,700km rail freight project that will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. This project is to keep pace with Australia’s increasing freight demands. 

For more information contact:

Dhawal Nayak
CEO and Founder, Grand Company
Phone: +61 433 532 344
Email: dhawal@grandshake.co
Website: https://www.grandshake.co/inland-rail

Click here to download a PDF version of the press release.