Entrepreneurship

Building Future Ready Girls

We believe education should be more than just preparing your daughter for exams. While we continue to achieve outstanding academic results, we know that the future of learning is evolving

At St Hilda’s we have looked at the future of education and are preparing for what it could mean without an ATAR ranking system. While we continue to achieve outstanding ATAR results, we have an obligation to teach our girls more than simply to excel in tests. Content continues to be important, however, Google and AI means that we no longer have to rely on our memories. Instead, we need critical thinking skills, problem-solving, data analysis, collaboration, teamwork and the power to influence. These are also key skills for an entrepreneur. We call it an entrepreneurial mindset.

As a leading private girls school, we see this shift not as a trend but as a responsibility. Not withstanding the play on words, we build our girls’ self-esteem through our ESSTEAM™ program.  Using an entrepreneurial mindset, we ask girls to solve problems through the lens of sustainability. It takes a cross curricular approach, applying Science, Technology, English, Arts and  Maths to achieve a project-based outcome.

Students are less motivated by achieving a high mark and instead build an implicit desire to solve a problem. Sometimes, they are successful. At other times, they face challenges. We value both as important lessons that they can take with them in life.

With over 600 girls studying ESSTEAM at St Hilda’s, our commitment to entrepreneurship outranks our competitors both locally and on a global scale. Working with Curtin University, we are participating in a measurement tool that will assess how teaching an entrepreneurial mindset through high school will impact students’ approach to their studies and their longer-term outcomes.

Simply, the St Hilda’s ESSTEAM™ Program introduces and establishes entrepreneurship skills and opportunities for girls and young women to connect with real-life problems.

Why is entrepreneurialism important?

These are the skills that create value, solve problems, and understand the balance of risk for reward. Entrepreneurs are hard-wired to be future-focussed. Women entrepreneurs represent a large and untapped resource for generating jobs and high-growth businesses. Those women exposed to entrepreneurialism at an early age are more likely to employ these skills in their career. View recent articles on female entrepreneurship below.

Six global trends that show how to support female entrepreneurs Why Women Entrepreneurs Outperform Men Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

An entrepreneurial spirit

We had the incredible honour of interviewing Old Scholar, Stella Kelly (2016), for our Entrepreneur Week festivities. Stella shared her inspiring journey of transforming her passion for music into a thriving business, showcasing the power of creativity and innovation.

Her insights not only fuel our students’ entrepreneurial spirits but also highlights the potential of our innovative ESSTEAM program in shaping the future of women in business.

Stella’s story is a testament to the endless possibilities that await when we combine our passions with strategic business acumen.

Our ESSTEAM™ Program

In the past, schools have created innovators and entrepreneurs by accident, rather than by design….until now. What we believe is missing is an entrepreneurial mindset through a sustainability lens. ESSTEAM™ will provide our girls with the opportunity to turn concepts into concrete solutions and ideas into actions. As educators, we know that experiences help fuel our girls drive to become lifelong learners and innovators. The deepest learning happens when their passions meet an opportunity for action. Today’s students want a purpose for learning and opportunities to create value for others.

St Hilda’s is leading the way in introducing a compulsory innovative program for Years 3 to 9, incorporating entrepreneurialism, as part of each girl’s educational curriculum journey. In 2026, our commitment deepens with the introduction of a Year 10 Entrepreneurship elective and expanded learning opportunities in Years 3 and 4, ensuring girls are equipped to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Pioneering the forefront of AI educational innovation

At St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, we are committed to staying at the forefront of educational innovation. Our recent partnership with Leon Furze, a leading expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, marks a significant step in this journey. Leon’s expertise and insights have already begun to transform our approach to teaching and learning, and we are excited to share the initiatives we are implementing in response to his guidance.

St Hilda’s and Leon Furze: Pioneering AI in Education The role of AI in schooling and education in 2024

Our ESSTEAM™ program will inspire inventive and adaptive thinkers with a curiosity for learning, and I look forward to its lasting impact on our girls.

Principal, Fiona Johnston

WA’s Tech Future: From Industry Leaders to Rising Stars

The team that recently won the Year 5 ESSTEAM Pitch Night had the opportunity to pitch their ideas at West Tech Fest, an event connecting local startup founders and entrepreneurs and showcasing the best of Australia’s technology innovation.

Click here to read more

Fostering the love of footy

In 2023, the Year 6 ESSTEAM students at St Hilda’s were given a challenge that would leave a lasting impact on their campus: a project inspiring the girls to ‘Leave it Better’. This initiative sparked a wave of creativity and entrepreneurship among the girls as they formed businesses and pitched innovative ideas to enhance their school environment for future generations.

Read More Here

Year 9s develop unique beverage products

As part of their ESSTEAM curriculum, our Year 9 students were tasked with developing a unique product in the beverage market.

When crafting their drink, students were required to uncover their Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and were challenged to secure the largest market share. Critical decisions involved choices on their product, selling days, price points, branding, and marketing strategies.

Click here to read more

ESSTEAM Queens Podcast

Produced by St Hilda’s Year 10 Media class, ESSTEAM Queens: Women Who Reign is a brand new podcast series from St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls that showcases our new ESSTEAM™ Studio, study program and future opportunities for our students in the area of ESSTEAM.

St Hilda’s ESSTEAM™ Program introduces and establishes entrepreneurship skills and opportunities for girls and young women to connect with real-life problems. It’s an Entrepreneurship program that aims to solve Sustainability problems through the lens of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Click here to listen to the ESSTEAM Queens Podcast

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