MCB Business Partners

25/11/2025

Research-backed innovation matters.

We’re proud to share that the Sustainnovation Challenge—our programme connecting education, local government, and industry—has been featured in The Elephant’s Leg II.

This research confirms what we’ve seen in practice: when young people have a voice in shaping their communities, great ideas emerge, and collaboration flourishes. It’s cost-effective, creates meaningful stories, and sparks partnerships that last.
Thank you to our partners, co-authors, and the university team for making this possible.

👉 Explore the book here: https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/the-elephants-leg-ii

27/10/2025

This week, our CEO Duncan Burck is representing MCB Business Partners at the in Newcastle. He’ll be presenting our approach to place-based, education–industry–government partnerships—a model we see as critical to building stronger economies and connecting education to employment outcomes.

07/10/2025

Net Z(ed): Building the Future Workforce for a Net-Zero Australia 🌱

We’re proud to see our Net Z(ed) initiative featured by the Australian Associated Press (AAP) Climate News team, highlighting the power of collaboration between industry, education, and government to prepare young Australians for careers in the net-zero economy.

As our pilot wraps up in the coming weeks, we’re gearing up for Net Z(ed) 2.0—a statewide activation supported by the NSW Department of Education, Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (), and other key partners.

This next phase will see us working closely with teachers across NSW to raise awareness of the growing suite of Net Zero Education resources, and to build confidence in delivering these in the classroom—or co-designing new learning experiences with industry partners.

📣 Your Call to Action:

If you're a teacher and would like us to visit your school for a Net Z(ed) incursion, just let us know!

If you're an industry partner or government agency and want to see your story, career opportunities, or expertise brought into classrooms—or simply help prepare our kids for the energy transition—reach out. We’d love to collaborate.

Thank you to all our collaborators for helping shape this journey. Let’s keep building the partnerships that power our future.

Australia is heading towards labour shortages in the clean energy transition and industry have been urged to step up to inspire the next generation of workers.

04/09/2025

We’re proud to see our Net Z(ed) initiative featured as a case study in the Skills Organisation’s 2025 Workforce Plan!

The Plan is a timely and much-needed roadmap for building not just a skilled workforce for the electrification of our economy, but also for the decarbonisation of all Australian businesses.

Our thanks to the PSO team for recognising our work connecting industry, education, and young learners to real opportunities in the energy transition.

We look forward to working closely with Powering Skills Organisation, our partners, and supporters over the coming months as we take Net Z(ed) from pilot to 2.0, ensuring our education systems have the tools and resources to introduce young learners to Net Zero career pathways.

https://poweringskills.com.au/case-study/duncan-burck/
https://poweringskills.com.au/workforce-plan-2025/

PSO 2025 Workforce Plan offers critical insights into the opportunities, challenges, and actions needed to build the skilled workforce essential for Australia’s energy transition and net zero future.

04/09/2025

Looking forward to sharing ideas with local government and economic development leaders on how we can better engage our pre-tertiary education ecosystems. These partnerships are key to building the skills and talent pipelines our industries need to thrive.

It’s a privilege to advocate for smarter, more inclusive strategies that connect education with economic growth.

11/02/2025

MCB Business Partners launch: Net Z(ed)– A Net Zero Education Collaboration to Inspire Our Future... is Live!

Net Z(ed) is a new way to connect education, industry, government, and researchers to help teachers prepare young Australians for the opportunities emerging in our decarbonising economy and Net Zero future. Check it out 👉 https://netzed.com.au

Net Z(ed) couldn't have happened anywhere but the Hunter. Taking this from an idea to reality has been possible thanks to our Foundation Collaborators from across the region and State and Commonwealth Government Departments and Agencies who have been incredible advisers, collaborators, and supporters. Thanks for seeing the vision!

✅NSW Department of Education – STEM Enrichment Team
✅Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (Hunter Workforce Transition Team)
✅Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE)
✅University of Newcastle
✅Committee for the Hunter
✅Business Hunter

For our team at MCB Business Partners, this is just the beginning. Net Z(ed) is the first of many industry-education, government initiatives programs we’re rolling out, powered by our newly minted EdTech Management Stack—designed to provide businesses, industry, and government with the data they need to measure their investments in education outreach while also raising the bar on real-world learning experiences for young people. Its going to help us hit our goals - everyone getting better at helping our Next Gens making informed decisions about their future and the opportunities emerging in it for them.

Watch this space—there’s more to come! Reach out if you want to hear more about Net Z(ed) or our Tech.

12/11/2024

alumni activate their Women on Water program with the Port of NewcastlePort of Newcastle.

When we launched the Sustainnovation Challenge back in 2001 as one of our programs at MCB Business Partners, the goal was to give young people a voice and encourage them to share their ideas on a local challenge or opportunity. However, the hardest part was always making the ‘what next’ happen for the students’ ideas.

For me, seeing one of our industry collaborators step into the ‘what next’ space is always a huge win, and it sends a powerful message to young people that their voices and ideas matter.

A big shout-out and thanks to the team at the Port of Newcastle for believing in the students and making this work, as well as the other businesses and agencies involved. Definitely leading the way team - looking forward to our next collaboration:)

Congratulations to all the organisations and individuals who helped bring this Challenge to life back in June. I’m excited to see a few other projects in the works that will get more young people excited about the Port, its exciting future, and the stable, rewarding career pathways it offers for decades to come. This opportunity and result for the students wouldn’t have happened without you!!

And a big congrats to the students and teacher we go to work with St Pius X Adamstown - Looking forward to more collaborations in 2025

02/09/2024

Alumni of have once again risen to the occasion, delivering an exceptional pitch aimed at future-proofing and increasing diversity in Australia's oldest industry—maritime.

Students from St Pius X Adamstown secured the best idea award at the Greater Newcastle Sustainnovation Challenge, "A Port for Our Future." Since their win, they've been refining their pitch, "Women on Water," to present to Craig Carmody (CEO) and the team at the Port of Newcastle, which happened last week. Surprise guest Newcastle's Federal Member, Sharon Claydon, was an added bonus and opportunity for them to flex their wares.

When one of the students stated, "Diversifying the workforce isn't just a matter of fairness; it's about unlocking a broader range of skills and perspectives that can drive innovation and progress in the industry. Our program aims to break down these barriers and create a pathway for more women to play a vital role in the future of the Port of Newcastle." Once I heard this, I was pretty confident their idea would be greenlit—and it has been. This message aligns really closely with the vision that Craig and the team are bringing to life for our Port.

It's always rewarding to see one of our Sustainnovation Challenges come full circle. What excites me most is how our motto, "building the village that helps our teachers get young people ready for their future," was on full display throughout the setup and now the ex*****on of this project.

A massive shoutout to Chris Saunders and the team at and Safety Training New South Wales who played a crucial role in making this challenge a success. We couldn’t have achieved the outcomes of the Port for Our Future challenge without their guidance and support. (I’m equally excited to be working with them and the students on another idea from the challenge—stay tuned!)

And to all the people and organisations that are part of this growing village, thank you for your continued support as these two student projects are moved forward. Svitzer, Port of Newcastle, PORT Authority of New South Wales, Oceanex Energy, Bollinger Marine Group, FASTLAB.. and many others. It is great to see our industries and, more importantly, the people in them stepping in and wanting to help our teachers support our young people.




Our 2024 Central Coast, MidCoast and Hunter Sustainnovation Challenge is supported by the RIEP Team from the NSW Department of Education & Training Services NSW.

15/08/2024

🎉 Excitement is in the air as student ideas are coming to life! Pitches are being sharpened, awards are being entered, and the all-important "ask" is being perfected.

Off the back of a successful series of Sustainnovation Challenges across the Central Coast and Hunter region—where over 220 secondary school students from more than 30 schools engaged in meaningful discussions about the transition and diversification story for our regions—we’re now diving into the exciting phase of bringing these innovative ideas to our industry and government partners, who are poised to make them a reality.

🌊 Women on Water (WOW): Students from St Pius X Adamstown are collaborating with industry representatives and storytelling experts (a special shoutout to Professor Paul Egglestone from The University of Newcastle, Australia's Fastlab for his invaluable support) to refine their pitch to help the Port of Newcastlecastle and our existing and emerging industries to start building the diverse pool of talent they'll need to be succesful and sustainable into the future.

💡 YIPACS - Hunter Youth Innovation: Next week, students from Rutherford Technology High School NSW Official Site will present their case to Hunter IF, seeking endorsement and support to establish a mechanism that ensures young voices and ideas are integral to our region's Innovation Discussion.

It’s great to see our young people not just generating ideas but actively pursuing them—and equally heartening to see our regional leaders stepping up to hear them and potentially support them also, thanks to those who are leaning in on this with us...

👀 Watch this space for updates—and if you're interested in helping more of our young folk connect with their communities, come up with ideas to make things better and then bring them to life, reach out!

15/08/2024

We get to work with and support some impressive teachers across the country. What always strikes me is how the good ones are really humble. If (Ms.) Jade Basset, out at Rutherford Technology High School NSW Official Site, isn't going to talk herself up; I will. Jade is absolutely nailing it and giving young girls at this school an amazing boost in their confidence while making sure they have absolute clarity of the opportunities for them as we see our society taking strides into the future. We're having our first experience working with Jade and her students on the pitching and setup (they are good!) of a Hunter Region Youth Innovation Advisory group under the watchful and supporting eye of the team at Hunter IF. Idea dropped out of the students who were participating in our Lower Hunter Sustainnovation Challenge with the Maitland City Council, where students explored the importance of diversity at the decision-making table. Important piece of work. Watch this space!

15/08/2024

ST Pius X High School students are bringing great ideas to the table at our Greater Newcastle Sustainnovation Challenge in June.