MCB Business Partners Scales Net:Zed with Government and Industry Backing

MCB Business Partners Secures Government and Industry Backing to Expand Place-Based Programs Accelerating Net Zero Literacy and Agency for Young People Across the Hunter and Beyond

MCB Business Partners has relaunched its Net:Zed program following a successful pilot in 2025, with new activities now underway across the Hunter Region and Central-West Orana.

At the centre of the Central-West Orana rollout, funded by EnergyCo and delivered in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education RIEP program, is the Net:Zed mobile classroom—an engaging activation space helping students build energy literacy and sustainability awareness through hands-on, gamified learning experiences.

In the Hunter, the Transitioning Economies project highlights that Net:Zed is not a fixed program, but a place-based framework that adapts to local context and need. As a secondary school, student-led initiative, the work supports students to better understand the changes underway in their region and to have a voice in it by connecting them with industry, government and community through interviews, partnerships and classroom-aligned resources.

Founder and CEO Duncan Burck said the Net:Zed initiatives and other being developed by MCB Business Partners reflect the strength of long-term local collaboration:

What we’re seeing now is the result of more than six years of working alongside education, government and industry partners across the Hunter. The success of Net:Zed—and other initiatives in this space, from pilot through to scaling—has been driven by a strong local ecosystem of educators, industry and technology partners coming together to make things happen. It’s a powerful story, but one we don’t always tell well as a region.

Programs like this matter because they start early. When young people can see real opportunities that connect to their interests, they begin to form career aspirations aligned to their region and its future economy. Making those connections early lifts engagement in learning and helps industry see greater value in working more closely with schools and teachers.

As Net:Zed programs continue to grow, new partnerships are forming across regions and local communities, with a strong pipeline of place-based initiatives emerging. These programs are helping ensure young people are more aware of opportunities in energy, electrification and decarbonisation, and better connected to the futures unfolding around them. Schools, partners and community organisations interested in getting involved or learning more are encouraged to connect with MCB Business Partners | Net:Zed to explore upcoming opportunities across the Hunter and beyond.