Student Success Coach
The Student Success Coach program is a free service available to Swinburne vocational education students, including VCAL and VCE students, and apprentices.
About Student Success Coaches
Balancing life and study can be challenging sometimes, but Student Success Coaches are here to listen and help.
Student Success Coaches support vocational education students to better succeed in their studies. We work with you to assess your individual needs. Our goal is to design strategies to help you overcome challenges and to access the right support, including Swinburne student services.
How we support students
We are available to meet and assist you with a plan if you experience difficulties that impact your study. This may include:
- issues with your study program or finances
- anxiety or stress
- other issues that may need specialist support.
There are currently 11 Student Success Coaches across Swinburne's Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna campuses. We are available to talk face-to-face, by phone or online. You can also chat to us when we visit your class.
If you're not ready to speak to a Student Success Coach, you can browse our range of student resources.
We have created downloadable tools and videos designed to help you improve your knowledge and skills in three key areas:
Meet your Student Success Coach
Select your study area to meet the coaches with expertise in helping students in your course.
If you're studying with the Richmond Institute, contact Ann Marie Hughes on +61 407 823 074 at anniehughes@swinburne.edu.au.
Ann Marie Hughes
Ann Marie can assist students studying:
- Accounting and Bookkeeping
- Business
- Event Management
- Financial Services
- Justice and Legal
- Library and Information Services
- Marketing
- Project Management
Ann Marie is available Monday to Thursday.
0407 823 074
anniehughes@swinburne.edu.au
Helen Acquilina
Helen can assist students studying:
- Arts
- Design
- Screen and Media
Helen is available Tuesday to Friday.
0409 012 060
hpillay@swinburne.edu.au
Ann Marie Hughes
Ann Marie can assist students studying:
- Teaching and Assessment
Ann Marie is available Monday to Thursday.
0407 823 074
anniehughes@swinburne.edu.au
Kerry Morris
Kerry can assist students studying:
- Early Childhood Education and Care
- Education Support
- Teacher Education Preparation
Kerry is available Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
0477 316 221
kmorris@swinburne.edu.au
James Thangman
James can assist students studying:
- General Education – Croydon campus
- Migrant English
James is available Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
0400 850 762
jthangman@swinburne.edu.au
Sherry Jiang
Sherry can assist students studying:
- General Education – Hawthorn and Wantirna campuses
- Migrant English
Sherry is available Monday to Wednesday.
0408 303 326
sherryjiang@swinburne.edu.au
Silvina Pechiar
Silvina can assist students studying:
- Community Services
- Disability
- Youth Work
Silvina is available Monday to Friday.
0409 075 731
spechiar@swinburne.edu.au
Tracy Hall
Tracy can assist students studying:
- Allied Health
- Health Services Assistance
- Individual Support
- Mental Health
- Non-Emergency Patient Transport
- Nursing
- Paramedical Services
Tracy is available Monday to Thursday.
0400 722 476
thall@swinburne.edu.au
Helen Acquilina
Helen can assist students studying:
- Cyber Security
- Games and Development
- Information Technology
- Networking
- Screen and Media
Helen is available Tuesday to Friday.
0409 012 060
hpillay@swinburne.edu.au
Helen Acquilina
James Thangman
James can assist students studying:
- Laboratory Technology
- Science
James is available Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
0400 850 762
jthangman@swinburne.edu.au
Bassel Saab
Bassel can assist students studying:
- Electrical
- Engineering
- Horticulture
Bassel is available Monday to Thursday.
0437 788 540
bsaab@swinburne.edu.au
David Clark
David can assist students studying:
- Bricklaying
- Building
- Carpentry
- Electrical
- Engineering
- Horticulture
- Plumbing
David is available Monday to Friday.
0437 741 486
davidclark@swinburne.edu.au
Alison Abraham
Alison can assist students studying:
- VCAL – Wantirna campus
Alison is available Mondays and Thursdays.
0473 823 375
aabraham@swinburne.edu.au
Honey Smith
Honey can assist students studying:
- VCAL – Croydon campus
- VCE
- Young Mums Program
Honey is available Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
0407 117 604
honeysmith@swinburne.edu.au
Set yourself up for success
The Student Success Coach team has created a suite of resources to assist you in planning your studies and reaching your goals.
Time management
An effective time management system can help you balance the demands of study and life.
It involves having a clear understanding of these demands as well as intentionally planning how to use our time to achieve goals. This is a valuable skill we can all learn – it can help us succeed in life and in our career.
Student resources to support effective time management
These resources can be used individually or in combination, depending on your needs.
Time management tools are also excellent resources for promoting self-care and motivation in relation to your studies.
Learn how Student Success Coaches support students to improve their time management skills by using planning tools in this workshop.
Study and time management tips [PDF 576KB]
Download this printable resource to get practical tips to help you manage your time.
Develop an understanding of how to use your time and plan for periods when you can concentrate on your studies.
Weekly schedule – example [PDF 140KB]
Download this example showing how our templates can be used to break your time into blocks and highlight work, leisure, daily activities and study using colour.
Weekly schedule – Word template [50KB]
Download a template in Microsoft Word to help plan your time.
Weekly schedule – Excel template [24KB]
Download a template in Microsoft Excel to help plan your time.
Learn how to approach breaking down a long assessment into manageable chunks and to set realistic time frames in which to complete them.
Assessment map – Word template [44KB]
Download a template in Microsoft Word to help plan work on your assessments.
Assessment map – Excel template [21KB]
Download a template in Microsoft Excel to help plan work on your assessments.
Discover how you can use a weekly planner and assessment map in combination to improve your time management skills and reach your goals.
There are some great free online resources to support good time management habits. Here are some we recommend.
- Trello allows you to make lists in a visually pleasing way so that you can see what's going on. It's easy to use, colourful, and you can add users for group work.
- Plan projects with calendars, charts and more with Asana. Another easy-to-use, colourful online tool that can be called on for group work.
Self-care and mindset
The challenges of balancing competing priorities can take a toll on your health.
Self-care can include prioritising and maintaining your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Mindset refers to perceptions or beliefs we have about ourselves. These can influence our behaviour, our outlook on life and our mental attitude.
You can incorporate practical strategies into your routine to maintain a healthy level of self-care and support a positive mindset. These can consist of:
- eating a balanced diet
- regular exercise
- engaging in positive activities
- meditation
- seeking support services when needed
- maintaining a positive mindset.
In combination, these can contribute to enhanced physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, as well as having a positive impact on your studies.
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Student resources to support self-care
In addition to these resources, we encourage you to explore our time management tools – the weekly schedule and assessment map can support your self-care plan.
If you need more support, you can also browse Swinburne's health and wellbeing services.
Self-care plan – template [Word 92KB]
Download a template in Microsoft Word to help put in place strategies to look after yourself.
Helpful tips to prioritise your wellbeing [PDF 233KB]
Download this printable resource to get practical tips for taking care of yourself.
Here are some online resources to support your mental health and wellbeing that we recommend.
- Headspace is a national organisation providing information and support for young people aged 16 to 25. Has an online support service where you can talk one-on-one with an eheadspace clinician via an online chat, email or over the phone.
We also recommend the Headspace meditation and mindfulness app. - Beyond Blue is a national organisation that provides information and support for all ages. Also has an online chat service (3pm to midnight), phone and email support lines.
- Black Dog Institute offers information, support and 'self tests' for a range of mental health conditions including depression and bipolar disorder.
We also recommend the Black Dog Institute's self-care planning and wellbeing resources. Plus check out Bite Back, their mental health and wellbeing site for youth. - The Calm app offers tools for sleep, meditation and relaxation; their mission is to make the world a happier place.
We also recommend their mindfulness resources if you're looking for more ways to be mindful.
Motivation and procrastination
Motivation and procrastination are common aspects of human behaviour. Understanding them can help you to gain insight into where motivation comes from and what drives us to set goals, as well as the reasons for delaying the completion of certain tasks.
You can contribute to success in your studies by exploring practical strategies to put into practice, adopting meaningful goal-setting, and enhancing your time-management skills.
Student resources to support motivation
In addition to these resources, we encourage you to explore our time management tools – the weekly schedule and assessment map can assist with understanding your goals and finding motivation.
Learn how Student Success Coaches support students to understand procrastination and to learn tips for motivation in this workshop.
Learn how to set targets that are achievable and motivating as you tick them off your list.
SMART goals – Word template [48KB]
Download a template in Microsoft Word to help you set achievable goals.
Still looking for motivation? Here are some free resources to help you navigate towards productivity.
- Headspace work and study help provides 15- to 25-year-olds free support about work and study. You can access online resources, get one-on-one support or join a group chat.
- The EnVision app allows you to creat vision boards. These can act as a daily reminder of your future vision and dreams, and help motivate you and establish a positive outlook.
- Smart goal planner is a handy app that gives you the tools to set specific, measurable, realistic time-based goals.
Other student support services
As a Swinburne student you have access to some terrific services to support during your time here – all free of charge.
And, of course, your Student Success Coach!
If you’re not sure where to start, get in touch with your Student Success Coach to learn more about the support and resources available to you.
Browse student services
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Learning and Academic Skills
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Careers and employability
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AccessAbility services
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Health and wellbeing
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Swinburne Skills and Jobs Centre
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Student systems, hardware and software
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Library
Need more information?
Library and studentHQ is your one-stop shop on every campus and can help you access student support services for all your course enquiries.