Busbridge inspiring the next generation as School to Work continues to drive change

NRL School to Work graduate Thomas Busbridge is determined to inspire the next generation of Indigenous youngsters to pursue their career ambitions while remaining connected to their culture. 

The youngster has been celebrated in this year's Power for Change spotlight after progressing through the School to Work program and taking on the role of Aboriginal Education Worker at St Josephs College Banora Point

Busbridge said the program helped him remain connected to his Indigenous culture while transitioning from high school into the workforce. 

"It's been a bit of an up and down ride, a bit like a roller coaster," Busbridge said. "With the support from the School to Work program, I've been able to be more grounded in myself. 

"Community members and my family have always been constant for me. They've helped me through those times where I might have been getting bullied or a bit of peer pressure to fit in with all the cool kids."

Busbridge's achievements, and the broader impact of the School to Work program, are being celebrated throughout the next fortnight as the NRL unites for Indigenous Round. 

Established in 2012, the School to Work program has helped thousands of Indigenous youngsters complete high school and tertiary studies before transitioning into the work force. 

The initiative has expanded significantly in South-East Queensland this year, providing more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands adolescents with mentorship and guidance throughout a crucial phase of their life. 

Celebrating Indigenous culture sits at the heart of the program and ensures the youngsters have a sense of self as they step into the workforce.

The program has placed an emphasis on helping students finish school, with 94% of participants graduating from high school in 2025. This figure exceeds both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous benchmark, highlighting the program's impact. 

The initiative works with a number of sponsors to help place students on the path to employment, with more than $125,000 in scholarships awarded to participants last year. 

Busbridge's journey highlights how the support, guidance and opportunities provided through rugby league have helped him build confidence, strengthen his connection to culture, and created a pathway towards a brighter future.

Through the School to Work program, he has developed the skills and self-belief to pursue his goals while inspiring other young people to do the same.

"From the first day I met Thomas, Thomas has always shown the utmost respect," NRL School to Work officer Shelley Keegan said. "He was very ambitious in what he's wanted to do after he left school. I had no doubt Thomas was ever going to not get where he wanted to go. 

"The School to Work program supported him through his school journey in so many different aspects."

Following his graduation, Busbridge has returned to his high school, St Josephs College Banora Point in the NSW Northern Rivers region, to take up the position of Aboriginal Education Worker.

The role allows him to mentor the emerging Indigenous students at the school and build on many of the programs he helped establish while a student himself. 

Through this, he hopes to leave a lasting legacy while inspiring the next generation of cultural leaders. 

"Throughout my schooling I helped bring many things into the school," Busbridge said. "Now in a role as an Aboriginal education worker at the school I went to, it's been great to see the things I put in place continue. 

In five years' time, I wish to see myself in a role that empowers young people to build cultural connections and continue to support other people in a cultural way, but also in a mentorship way and continue to empower them and back them as they are the next generation."