HEX Chief Growth Officer (CGO) and cofounder Chris Hoffmann said the HEX High program brings industry directly into the classroom.

“[Students] can be at a regional remote school and be learning directly from the largest business in the world,” Hoffmann, who is an InDaily 40 Under 40 alumni, said.

HEX High, in collaboration with the University of Sydney (USyd), is a 10-credit, fast-tracked Stage 2 course delivered at a university level for Year 11 and 12 students

Designed to upskill in entrepreneurship and innovation, the six-week online program is equivalent to a semester-long subject.

Delivered in a semi-synchronous form, the collaborative learning program is a mix of bite-sized, high production video content and live masterclasses led by different industry leaders, which Hoffmann described as being fun and engaging workshops.

There is also opportunity for students to book 1:1 mentoring with industry leaders who will provide advice and feedback.

Hoffmann said the program’s online completion rate is 89 per cent and the net promoter score – which measures how likely students are to recommend the program – is 94 out of 100.

“It really shows that what we’re doing exceeds expectations: they feel like they’re in the driver’s seat,” he said.

The program can contribute ten Stage 2 credits, out of the required 90 credits, towards students’ ATAR.

Upon competition of the program at a passing grade or above, USyd issues a Certificate of Completion which provides students with a graded academic record of learning. This can be used to apply for credit at any universities in Australia and internationally which recognise USyd’s academic credit.

“We could have just run these programs sitting on the outside and have [students] do it above and beyond their workloads, but I think it’s just way cooler to make it a part of their [schooling] experience,” Hoffmann said.

He said HEX High benefits educators as well as students.

“They don’t really have to do any admin: we run this thing completely off the shelf. [Educators] are so stretched, so, if we can give them any time back that is what we hope to achieve from an educator’s point of view.”

According to Hoffmann, HEX is a “for impact” company and HEX High is for everyone, with scholarships offered through a global partnership with Atlassian foundation – Australia’s largest SaaS organisation – whose team, additionally, dedicates one per cent of their time to mentor through HEX.

“[Atlassian] will provide some scholarships for disadvantaged youth or students in financial need who could really use this experience, but can’t afford it,” Hoffmann said.

“We’ve introduced something that can support [students] to launch a business, enter the workforce early, or, you know, defer university and say ‘I just need a goddamn break after 12 years of studying’ – but we can now have a credit attached at the same time.

“We want to be able to ensure that we’re able to support a range of traditional and non-traditional pathways for learners.”

As of March 14, the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) and South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) recognises the HEX High Accelerator Program as a recognised studies which counts towards students’ ATAR.

Students, their parents and SA schools can learn more about HEX and their programs May 10 through 11 at the free Adelaide Careers & Employment Expo.