“Because,let’s face it,if you’re doing part-time work,you’ve got some discipline,you’re learning skills,you’re learning hospitality,you’re learning food and retail,economics and finance. You’re doing a whole lot of skills which we can take into account,” Glover told theHerald.
He made the remarks at Auburn Girls High,where Katie Page,the billionaire chief executive of multinational retail giant Harvey Norman,announced on Thursday that the company she leads will donate $7.9 million to Western Sydney University.
The philanthropic gift will primarily benefit students at Auburn Girls High School through the Harvey Norman Young Women’s Leadership Academy led by Page.It comes almost a year after billionaire James Packer donated $7.9 millionto the University of NSW for mental health research.
Glover said the donation would help high school girls from disadvantaged backgrounds aspire to tertiary education and help them financially once enrolled.
“This Harvey Norman Leadership Academy is going to be designed at scale to help young girls right through Auburn Girls High School into tertiary education and along that journey to give them empowerment,leadership development,and,importantly,to understand what university education is all about,” he said.
Under the program,school students will attend workshops on personal and social capability to help them consider future career possibilities. It will provide financial support for 100 university students every year.