In January 2025, twenty-five Indigenous high school students from around Australia attended the Australian Business Deans Council’s National Indigenous Business Summer School (NIBSS) in Melbourne.
NIBSS is a week-long program for Indigenous high school students who are thinking about studying business, starting their own business, becoming an entrepreneur or are curious about university study. The program provides 25 Indigenous students with an opportunity to experience what daily life as a university student is like, to learn about the various pathways into business studies at multiple universities, and to see business in action by working on a solution to a real-world business case. The program sponsors students’ travel, accommodation, meals, and the costs of all associated activities.
The 2025 program was led again by the University of Melbourne in collaboration with Swinburne University, RMIT University, Deakin University and Monash University. The 2025 program was also proudly supported by the William Buckland Foundation.
Students travelled from across Australia, including Darwin in the Northern Territory, Perth in Western Australia, Brisbane and Far North Queensland, Adelaide in South Australia, various locations along the New South Wales coast, and regional Victoria. For some, it was their first time leaving their home state or travelling by plane.
The students were mentored throughout the week by ten Indigenous University of Melbourne students and alumni from a range of academic backgrounds.
Meet the class of 2025 in the video below and hear their thoughts on the week-long residential program and immersive experience in business studies and university life.
THE NIBSS PROGRAM
Upon arriving in Melbourne, students were collected from the airport by university staff and mentors and chaperoned back to University College, a residential college at the University of Melbourne where the students would check in to their individual dorm rooms. After checking in, a Welcome Session was held with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, formal introductions to the staff and mentors and a cultural paint session by Indigenous business Wanyara.
To launch the week, students were challenged to develop a solution to a business case provided by Indigital, a majority Indigenous-owned and managed social enterprise committed to creating meaningful connections between Country, First Nations communities, and the corporate sector. Academic sessions were held each morning at the residential college, providing students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding, ask questions, and collaborate on the case.
While in Melbourne, students toured University College at the University of Melbourne, StarLAB at Monash University Caulfield Campus, and the RMIT University City campus and the Ngarara Willim Centre. These visits offered insight into the diversity of business study pathways and campus life across institutions.
Throughout the week, students participated in workshops and experiential learning activities designed to build their problem-solving skills and contribute to the business case project. A highlight included a site visit to Tennis Australia headquarters, where students engaged with First Nations representatives and learned about employment opportunities and pathways for Indigenous Australians. Following this session, students and mentors explored the Australian Open’s Entertainment precinct on Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day (formerly First Nations Day), where they had the chance to spot several prominent Indigenous personalities. The week culminated in a formal presentation of the students’ business case solutions to a panel of judges: Chelsea Brand, Chief Relationship Officer at Indigital; Mark Jones, MURRA Program Director at the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership; and Professor Stephen Cummings, Associate Dean and Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Victoria University of Wellington.
To celebrate the students’ achievements, a Gala Dinner was held at Melbourne Museum. The evening featured a Welcome to Country, cultural performances by the Djirri Djirri dancers, and storytelling and music by John Wayne Parsons & Band. Students were presented with Certificates of Completion by Professor Paul Jensen, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne, and had the opportunity to network with university and industry professionals they had met throughout the week. Thank you to everyone involved in NIBSS 2025!
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