One of the most wonderful men I know asked this question of me -  'don't you think it would be better to treat everyone as individuals and not as a gender class?

I agreed that that would be ideal, however not that easy. The fact is that women and men are different and need different forms of support. I commented on my forum the other day about when I went away on business, I worried if my family would eat properly and look after the house.  There are not many men who would consider this at all. Men have the wonderful ability to compartmentalise their thoughts, which means they can close off their home from their work lives. I am yet to find a woman who can do this effectively.

The fact is that women need programs to help them deal with their own issues and challenges. I do agree however that we need a forum for helping men understand women's issues and vice versa. That is why Project U is launching a new program called 'Working with Women'.

This program goes through the difference in work styles, demonstrates the differences in thought processes and helps both sexes to understand how those differences can be leveraged to the company's advantage.

Click here to register your interest

I have just had a fantastic business trip around Australia working on one of my greatest passions - the development of young people. For those who don't know,  as well as Project U,  I run a number of other companies, the most prominent of which is the Australian Experiential Learning Centre (AELC).  We are at the moment engaging with universities and businesses Australia-wide in the bid to bring on board an all of government and industry internship program.

Why would I do this you ask? Well my reason is this - students in universities need a way to apply the knowledge they acquire within their degrees and the only way to do that is with work experience. The only problem with this is that most businesses don't know how to work with students and most universities can't find the resources to monitor the process. So I devised a program that gives students, industry and universities a guided process within which to work and a guaranteed method of success without a high cost.  The AELC then keeps all records of the internship on file for the students for 2 years after graduation, making it a fantastic way for the student to obtain a reference.  We also have a personal training system online and run events, seminars and a range of community projects all over the world.

In America nearly all students have access to work experience - it is the culture.  However in Australia we just haven't been able to find the right model.

The AELC is the only one of its kind in Australia and a leader in the world having won multiple awards both nationally and internationally. Imagine if all businesses got involved with the program and took on an intern. Imagine if all government departments took on interns as a matter of course. We would be the only country in the world to have a fully cooperative government/industry internship system.

I truly believe that we all need to take on the responsibility for working with the young people coming through our university systems. These young people are the future leaders in our country and right now many leave and don't come back.

If anyone out there is interested in mentoring a student, taking on an intern or just being involved with something truly inspirational then email on tracey.hodgkins@advantage.edu.au . The program is available in all states of Australia.

The website is:  www.advantage.edu.au