Australia’s Successful Graduate provides employability training solutions to education providers, students, graduates, governments and employment service providers. The PIE caught up with founder and managing director Gordon Scott to sum up in just five minutes a diverse and exciting career that has spanned three decades.
What was your first job in intled?
From 1996 to 2004, I worked in a variety of locations for the Queensland government, ending with four years in London for Queensland’s European trade and investment office. Part of our work was to support this ‘new’ international education sector, and oddly, most international students who came to study in Queensland were from Norway!
What keeps you awake at night?
I am lucky in that I do sleep really well! If I have a recurring 2am thought, it might be about ensuring the ongoing relevance of Successful Graduate services – maintaining relevance to students and their employability needs and ensuring clients are seeing ROI with what we do. Having a b2b2c business model means we have to make sure both universities and their students derive benefit from us.
Proudest career moments?
I can’t choose one, so here are four!
Building a successful and relevant business after overcoming major family health challenges. Winning the 2023 PIEoneer Award for digital innovation in student recruitment! Establishing and growing Study Brisbane. Serving on the board of the IEAA.
Best work trip?
Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou 2012. It involved karaoke. And maybe a little bit of rice wine.
Worst work trip?
Russia February 2005, when a passenger sitting next to me on a flight died.
What makes you get up in the morning?
My dog.
What’s the most rewarding part of working with international students?
Each year we work with Edified to sponsor an employability project somewhere on the planet. I’d have to say the work we did to support a project in central Ghana in 2021 is at the top of my list.
The Academic Success Mentorship and Career Guidance Project was one of the most inspirational projects I’ve been involved with. The project supported Agnes Atanga, a University of Edinburgh graduate, to help high schools to connect to the internet and offer employability support, career guidance and mentorship to over 5,000 female final year school students.
Many young ladies in Ghana marry after school to achieve financial security. The idea was to help these students to prepare their minds for life after senior high school and to help them make informed decisions around their career path.
