Inspiring Our Youth With CEO For A Day | CBCC Initiative

CEO For A Day was first dreamt up after the Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) Youth Committee raised concerns that young people were feeling increasingly insecure about their adult lives as they left school and entered the workforce.

Many felt like they lacked the skills needed to face their peers equally, whilst others said that their lack of experience and connections prevented them from navigating professional and adult spheres confidently.

At the CBCC, we want our youth to feel empowered in their education and career choices. And thus, CEO For A Day was born. Matching senior high school students from Years 10 to 12 with volunteer CEOs, business leaders, and community leaders in the local area, the participating students shadow their CEO mentors for three days across three terms.

During their mentorship, students will get to personally witness a business leader at work, engage with other industry professionals, and gain valuable insights and wisdom on how to achieve their dreams.

And in December 2022, we launched a highly successful pilot for CEO For A Day.

For our pilot, a small number of senior students from Bankstown Girls High School shadowed local Bankstown executives from Transdev, Collappor8, Quickstep, and Zip Water. During their time, they saw the ins and outs of their chosen industry and how their professional mentors led their daily life both professionally and in the community.

The students were welcome to ask their mentors questions and get hands-on experience in the industry, from learning how local bus services operate to seeing how product and supply lines operate to gaining hands-on experience with business strategies.

During their day, students were also provided with important insights into leadership and mentorship to help inspire their future professional and personal lives.

All participants reported being satisfied with their experience with our program. We are extremely pleased that CEO For A Day was embraced and welcomed by our students and volunteer business leaders.

We aim to continue this program this year and encourage all businesses to join CEO For A Day. The issues that kickstarted our program development are experienced by many young people not just in Canterbury Bankstown, but across Western Sydney and beyond.

By creating a strong network between local business communities and senior high school students, CEO For A Day will benefit both young people trying to navigate early adulthood and local economies and businesses.

To foster greater networking and connection, the CBCC is holding our first ever Youth Expo on Saturday 27^th May at the new Western Sydney University Bankstown City Campus.

We invite young people aged 14-24 and their families to attend, where they can meet and connect with local businesses, organisations, charities, sports clubs, and more to start creating a future rich with opportunities in their professional and personal lives.

Interested in welcoming and inspiring the new generation of leaders? Sign up to CEO For A Day.