Students struggling to enter university due to academic barriers can find hope through a pathway offering personalised support and flexible learning.
For many students, the path to higher education is fraught with challenges, from rigid entry requirements to limited support systems, leaving their university aspirations hanging in uncertain balance.
But one education provider is bridging the gap between high school and university by preparing students for tertiary education through personalised, supportive learning.
Recently celebrating 25 years, Sydney Institute of Business and Technology (SIBT) offers students a pathway to various undergraduate programs at Western Sydney University (WSU). SIBT forms part of global education provider, Navitas, which pioneered the pathway model of education in Australia more than 30 years ago.
Located at WSU’s Sydney city campus, SIBT offers both foundation and diploma programs as a pathway to undergraduate study. On successful completion of a SIBT diploma, students progress to a bachelor’s degree at WSU as a second-year student. More than 20,000 SIBT graduates have successfully graduated since 1997.
Director of Student and Academic Services, Ms Peta Bollen, drives SIBT’s mission to support and empower students seeking tertiary education opportunities.
“Our strength is our ability to provide additional support to students to really prepare them for further tertiary studies,” she says.
The institute offers diplomas in business, IT, engineering, communication, and creative industries, and maintains small class sizes, typically capping classes at 24 students to ensure personalised attention.
“Our teachers know students by name – this approach allows for targeted support and early intervention,” Ms Bollen says.
SIBT’s model extends beyond traditional classroom learning. It also offers discipline-specific skills and support, such as its math support program in engineering.
“We’ve got counsellors available, welfare support, academic study skills workshops, and one-on-one student learning advisors,” she says, demonstrating SIBT’s holistic approach to student development.
The institute also offers flexibility through its innovative diploma structure.
“We run trimesters with a rolling intake, so students can start at different times of the year – not only in February, which is traditionally when university begins,” Ms Bollen explains.
The institute offers two diploma options: an eight-month accelerated program and a 12-month traditional pathway, both comprising eight units of study.
Students can choose to complete four units per session or spread their studies across three teaching sessions.
This approach allows students to align their studies with personal circumstances, whether transitioning directly to university or balancing work and education.
Industry relevance is another key focus at Sydney Institute of Business and Technology.
“We’ve brought in industry advisory committees to understand what employers want,” Ms Bollen says. This approach has led to innovative additions like Cisco-accredited networking units and a cyber security unit, ensuring graduates are workplace-ready.
For communication and creative industries students, the college embeds practical business skills.
“We know that a lot of students will be going out on their own, wanting to run their own small business in design or journalism,” Ms Bollen says.
As a result, SIBT has integrated management and leadership units to prepare students for entrepreneurial careers.
The ultimate goal is providing flexible, industry-aligned education that prepares students for both university progression or entry to the workforce.
Partnering with Western Sydney University offers many benefits to students.
“The fact that we have a partner university that we share a campus with – and share an academic teaching team – means teachers can identify students who need additional support,” she says.
“For example, if we identify that students might be struggling with programming language when they transition to Western Sydney University, we can embed further support and skills into our SIBT Diploma of IT to address any skill or knowledge gaps.”
While students who graduate from SIBT are guaranteed credit if they go onto Western Sydney University, it’s not their only option.
“We consider all options available to students once they graduate from SIBT, which informs how we design our units of study. We want to maximise the opportunities for students and set them up for success in the pathway they choose once they graduate from SIBT.”
While traditionally focused on delivering pathway education to international students, SIBT is now expanding its offerings to domestic students.
“We’re looking at ways to increase flexibility of our course offerings, which we know is really important to domestic students who are trying to juggle study, work and personal commitments,” Ms Bollen says.
Future plans include strengthening the existing flexible delivery modes, including offering more on-demand lectures and asynchronous learning materials, to give students more opportunity to study in a way that best suits their needs.
SIBT is positioning itself as a responsive, forward-thinking educational pathway provider.
“We’re proud of our model and we truly believe that we do set students up for success when they move into tertiary studies,” Ms Bollen says.
The institute’s performance is validated by data from WSU, showing students who complete SIBT’s pathway programs perform exceptionally well in subsequent university studies.
For students who haven’t met traditional university entry requirements, Sydney Institute of Business and Technology offers a proven alternative pathway.
“We’re giving them an alternative entry point and enabling students to develop foundational skills that help them succeed at university.”
For more information, visit https://sibt.nsw.edu.au/
