Real Projects, Real Experience
Working on actual client projects gives you something most graduates don't have – genuine professional experience. Our students collaborate with local businesses across North Geelong and the wider Victoria region, solving real financial challenges while building portfolios that matter.
What Students Are Building
Margin Analysis Dashboard
A retail client needed to understand which product lines were actually profitable. Our team built a custom dashboard that tracks margins across 200+ SKUs, revealing that three product categories were losing money despite high sales volume.
Each project runs for about three months. Students work directly with business owners, handle real financial data, and present findings that affect actual decisions. It's messy sometimes – clients change their minds, data is incomplete, deadlines shift. That's the point.
Who Guides These Projects
Our project mentors aren't just teachers. They run their own consultancies, work with actual clients, and understand the difference between academic exercises and business reality. They're here because they remember what it's like to start out.
Callum Thornley
Manufacturing Finance Specialist
Spent 15 years fixing broken cost systems in mid-sized manufacturers. Now he helps students figure out where the money actually goes in production environments. His project teams work with local factories on real costing problems.
Brett Kilpatrick
Service Business Consultant
Runs a small consultancy focused on professional services firms. He knows how to make pricing models work when you're selling time and expertise. His students tackle real pricing challenges for lawyers, architects, and consultants.
How Project Work Actually Happens
There's no magic formula here. Projects follow a rhythm that matches how consulting work actually flows. You'll get stuck, figure things out, change direction when needed, and deliver something useful.
Client Briefing
Business owner comes in, explains their problem. Sometimes they know exactly what they need. Often they don't. Your first job is figuring out what question you're really answering.
Data Collection
Get access to their systems, pull the numbers, clean up the mess. This takes longer than you think. Data is always messier than clients admit.
Analysis Phase
Build your models, test assumptions, find the patterns. Weekly check-ins with your mentor keep you on track. This is where you actually learn the craft.
Presentation
Show your findings to the client. They'll ask questions you didn't expect. You'll need to defend your conclusions. It's uncomfortable and valuable.
Join the Next Project Cycle
We're accepting applications for programs starting in late 2025 and early 2026.
You'll need some basic financial knowledge and a willingness to work with incomplete information.