PRESS RELEASE: Addressing an Unmet Need: New Life Skills Program Helping Young Australians Navigate Real-World Challenges

Across Australia, teenagers are graduating from school without the everyday skills they need to feel confident, capable and independent. From writing a resume to performing first aid, changing a tyre, preparing for a job interview or handling basic home maintenance, these essential tasks are often assumed knowledge — yet they are rarely taught.

For many young people, especially those from busy or overstretched households, the opportunity to learn these skills simply doesn’t exist. It is an unmet need that follows them well into adulthood.

Recognising this gap, Bridie Searle created ReadySkills, a practical life skills program designed with students, educators, industry professionals and parents. ReadySkills was built around one central goal: ensure every young person — regardless of background — gets access to the fundamental skills that shape their safety, confidence and independence.

“Life skills aren’t optional,” Bridie says. “They’re essential. And if young people aren’t learning them at home or at school, then we’re failing them. ReadySkills exists because too many teenagers are stepping into adulthood completely unprepared.”

ReadySkills workshops provide hands-on experience in the real-world skills young Australians consistently say they lack:

• Crafting resumes and understanding employer expectations
• Participating in mock interviews with honest, practical feedback
• Learning essential first aid and basic emergency response
• Changing a tyre, checking fluids and understanding automotive safety
• Completing basic home maintenance, cleaning standards and renter responsibilities

Schools report immediate impact. Students leave sessions feeling more capable, more confident and more independent. Many take their new skills home that same day — helping parents with car checks, drafting resumes for relatives, handling household tasks or applying first aid knowledge in real situations.

Teachers describe the program as “the link that’s been missing for years.”
Employers say students who complete ReadySkills stand out for their preparedness and practical understanding.
Parents often say their children are “finally learning the things adults assume they already know.”

“Not every student has someone to teach them these skills,” Bridie says. “That’s why ReadySkills had to be built collaboratively. By involving students, educators, industry and parents, we’ve created something real, useful and universal — a program that meets a need young people have been voicing for years.”

ReadySkills is delivered Australia-wide with no travel fees and offers four program streams covering life skills, career readiness, independence and essential capabilities.