The direction we’re taking and the principles that guide us along the way.
We began with the idea that we could do things differently. We didn’t want to deliver training that ticked a box. We wanted to deliver the training that students need, and we wanted to equip them to continue learning beyond a qualification.
We’ve grown and expanded over the last decade to help thousands of students achieve their dreams. But as we reflected on why we started the College for Adult Learning in the first place, it was clear that our vision hadn’t changed.
We’ve always believed that everyone has the power to transform themselves and create change in the world. And we have the unique opportunity to be a part of this. We’re looking beyond the classroom to a world filled with opportunity. We’re looking beyond qualifications to the chance to ignite a passion for lifelong learning.
Our vision is global, but it starts with one.
Igniting real change by inspiring one student at a time;
empowering them to shape their own world.
Our content is created in partnership with industry to deliver future-focused skills.
We put our students first and craft the best possible experiences for them.
Going beyond the piece of paper to create a difference in students’ careers.
We know the profound impact we can have on people, and how they can continue to effect change around them. By inspiring one student, we have the opportunity to transform lives, to drive innovation in industry, and to change the world.
We’re not only helping those that come to us, we’re looking for ways to proactively reach out and make a difference.
By sparking the desire to learn, we’re creating lifelong students. We’re giving people the confidence to achieve their goals and live their best lives.
We’re changing lives through learning.
We use the opportunity we have as an education provider to not just train our students, but empower them.
Since the beginning, we’ve focused on understanding our students.
Whether a student is looking to formalise their extensive experience, upskill to advance their career, follow their passion or start a new career – we want to see our students succeed.
We’re dedicated to going beyond the piece of paper and making sure our students graduate with practical skills and the confidence to continue growing personally and professionally.
We’re giving students the power to shape their own world.
We believe that even the smallest contributions can have the most profound effects.
We’re making a conscious effort to create and inspire meaningful change.
By making thoughtful contributions, we can help individuals, improve our community and change the world.
From saving a life with blood donations, to helping plant trees in our community through to raising money and awareness for conditions affecting thousands in Australia and millions globally, we’re working to ignite real change.
We’re sparking meaningful change in our world.
With a vision so big and so exciting, we needed to make sure our values set up a framework for us to make a difference while still being true to who we are.
As a family-run business, we were always governed by a need to do better and to be better without sacrificing quality, honesty or compassion.
By championing a culture of support and learning, our growing team were always encouraged to have a passion for education, a spirit of integrity and a need to keep improving.
When it came to setting our values, we simply needed to look at what we already did that made us really proud to be a part of CAL.
Our values have always been at the heart of everything we do, it was just time we showed the world.
1.
This is the most obvious value for us. One of the reasons CAL was started was because of the need to recognise and understand that every student is different. Each has a different level of experience, a different learning style, different needs and different goals.
Our move to create a dedicated Student Success Team has changed the game for thousands of students. This is a unique initiative with real people proactively reaching out to students to help them overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
Our Student Success Advisors are always pioneering new ways to connect with students and improve the student experience.
Putting students first means to me always being a line of support for our students, that includes working late evenings four days a week to ensure we can support our students after hours. I believe putting students first involves not always having a black or white response and ensuring we can cater to each individual student and how they learn/wish to study. This enables me to form a great rapport with our students and to also instil a sense of confidence within them to help them get started.
Daisy Smoel / Student Engagement Coach
2.
One of our proudest points of difference was that we always strive to reach out and get to know and understand each of our students. We choose to tailor a student’s learning journey because we embrace the differences – not punish them.
Because this has been at the heart of our business, it just made sense that we also cherish each team member and their backgrounds, ideas, interests, personalities and quirks. We choose to celebrate them, and encourage our people to be themselves, unapologetically.
There are no square pegs at CAL, because there are no round holes. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the brilliant, unique minds in our team.
Being an individual means that there is a role for each of us within CAL, while we are tied to a function in the organisation we all have something to teach each other and something to learn from each other. Our experiences and backgrounds, our passions and our aversions build us into who we are and as an organisation, we want to celebrate how we can all add to the culture of CAL and give our students the skills to enjoy a life of leaning.
Matt Sabell / Business Development Manager
Here at CAL we are honoured to be able to embrace individuality as a tool to put our students first – always.
As the Student Success Advisor, I am very lucky to be a part of our students’ journeys, helping them jump over any hurdles and celebrating and encouraging all their success.
Putting students first is not about creating shortcuts, it’s about creating an incredible environment to help students thrive, not only in their studies but in their current and future careers. We are able to do this through taking on the approach of creating an individual journey for each student to cater for their needs and wants, as well as helping each student take control of their own learning.
Alysia Moyle / Student Success Advisor
3.
We didn’t start with one, we started with a team – a family. As we grew our family-run College, the terms ‘team’ and ‘family’ stayed synonymous and we continued to nurture a culture of support.
While the business grew and changed in different ways, we realised that we simply can’t move forward if we don’t share ideas and encourage each other. We believe that teamwork needs to be beyond walls and departments, and real support goes beyond the day’s to-do list. It’s all about helping people achieve their goals.
At CAL, we not only work with each other, we work with our students, because we are one team. And together, we can make a difference.
At CAL we always work together and support each other. This extends to all our students as we work together to encourage and empower them to achieve their goals. We don’t believe in walls between departments and we are always striving to reduce barriers for all our stakeholders.We encourage both positive and constructive feedback in achieving the required objectives.
Stephen Golding / Operations Manager
4.
Learning is at the heart of personal and professional growth. We believe that the willingness to try new things and step outside our comfort zone is one of the most powerful indicators of success.
If you can develop the mindset that there’s always something to learn from everyone, then every interaction becomes an opportunity. If you can set a goal to learn something new each day, then no day is wasted. If you can spark your passion for learning, then you can inspire thousands.
We nurture curiosity and encourage the habit of continuous learning and improvement. Through creating lifelong learners, we can drive innovation and create a better future.
I’ve always started my day with the aim to learn at least one new thing. This makes me curious and open to the potential of each new day. When we’re kids we ask a million questions constantly, barely pausing for breath; we’re curious, engaged and excited to be inspired!
At CAL we encourage curiosity and nurture discovery. We’re inspired to encourage a desire to learn in every interaction, every day. If you start each day with a desire to learn you’ll always be inspired and optimistic for what the future brings!
Helen Sabell / CEO and Principal
Education isn’t just about getting a qualification; it’s about so much more than that! It’s about increased self-confidence and about creating real change.
We always push our students to do their best; we ask a lot of them, but we also push ourselves and each other. At CAL we live and breathe education (formal and informal), and we celebrate a ‘learning mindset’ in our everyday lives; asking questions, seeking new ways forward, challenging the status-quo, generating ideas and being courageous enough to overcome obstacles with enthusiasm and creativity!
We never want to be the smartest person in the room, instead, we want to embrace the discomfort of the unknown… we want to see what’s on the other side!
Sarah Sabell / Associate Director, Learning and Development
5.
We have always looked beyond the present. By simply understanding that not every student can be treated the same and deciding to make a change, we created a foundation that looked towards tomorrow.
We challenge the status quo and think about what can be done better. We take on stale paradigms and design the new standard. We analyse the past and build a better future.
By focusing on what the workforce needs tomorrow, we can deliver cutting-edge skills today. We can transform industries and future-proof careers. By focusing on the future, we’re setting our students up for success.
Within the next five years, the way students consume education will be radically different. Unless we are prepared to invest in new innovative strategies to meet these changes we run the risk of being irrelevant. Look at Kodak; for anyone aged over 45, photos and cameras were synonymous with Kodak. Unfortunately, Kodak ignored the smartphone phenomenon where people had a camera in their pocket and an iconic brand disappeared within a few years. That’s where we’re at now, education is experiencing its Kodak moment and we’re going to stay in front of it.
Rob Golding / Director
6.
At the heart of every student-trainer relationship is trust. This is built on honesty and openness. It’s fostered through respect. It’s strengthened through vulnerability. And it’s maintained through accountability.
We’re always looking for better ways to communicate and facilitate conversations. From introducing new ways for students to give feedback, to reaching out to ask for it – we believe transparency works best when it’s a two-way discussion, not a token suggestion box.
Every day, we make the decision to be open and accountable. We’re listening to feedback, and we’re putting it into action.
I love that every team member here values giving and getting feedback. It means we can talk about it openly and take steps to make improvements. The more we learn from our students and from each other, the more we can innovate and work towards something better.
Chloe Bickerton / Marketing Manager
