Half the graduates at Sunnybank State High School didn't have work or study prospects six months after leaving, so the school took them back for Year 13.

Key points: Teachers provide practical help with finding, preparing for, and securing work

Teachers provide practical help with finding, preparing for, and securing work Year 13 students are individually case managed throughout the year

Year 13 students are individually case managed throughout the year More than 95 per cent of last year's graduates from Year 13 are now in full-time work or study

The Year 13 classroom is lined with computers on one side and a rack of clothes on the other that includes business suits, dress pants and fluoro shirts for potential job interviews.

Teacher Robyn Pedler said she stays back after official school hours are over to prepare worksheets for her Year 13 students.

"It's our responsibility — our job doesn't just end at Year 12, or at 3:00pm," Ms Pedler said.

Business suits, dress pants and fluro shirts in the classroom — potential job interview outfits. ( ABC News: Allyson Horn )

Year 13 brings ex-students back into the classroom, where teachers provide practical help with finding, preparing for, and securing work.

The program — funded from the school's own budget — started at Sunnybank when teachers realised nearly half their 2017 graduates hadn't found full-time work or study six months after leaving.

To help turn around the statistics, the school set up Year 13 to ensure every single student was individually case managed through the year.

"Some students need extra skills in interviewing techniques, some need to have their hands held and be walked around to employers, some of them need help with their resumes or job search skills," Ms Pedler said.

'Nervous about my future'

The ABC's Australia Talks National Survey found Australians are not convinced the education system is preparing students for the future — 39 per cent are satisfied, but 39 per cent are not.

The student community at Sunnybank State High School is incredibly diverse, with 53 unique cultures represented.

It includes refugee and migrant families and some with very little spoken English.

Teachers provide practical help to students with finding, preparing for, and securing work. ( ABC News: Allyson Horn )

Ali Maisam graduated high school at the end of 2018 and was among the first students in the newly established Year 13 program.

The 18-year-old refugee from Afghanistan knew he wanted to be an electrician, but had no idea how to start his dream career.

"On graduation day I was mostly nervous about my future — what's going to happen next?" Mr Maisam said.

The teenager struggled to get interviews or work, despite applying for dozens of electrical apprenticeship jobs.

His former teachers stepped in, starting him in TAFE courses, and coaching him on securing employment.

"They showed me how to write a cover letter, resume, and everything about a job application," Mr Maisam said.

"They helped me a lot, how to sit, how to dress, how to talk."

Mr Maisam said he was proof the program worked. ( ABC News: Allyson Horn )

'What a lot more schools need'

Mr Maisam now works with a local electrical company and his boss Nick Lumsdale, said the school's program was impressive.

"We think it's great — it's what a lot more schools need," Mr Lumsdale said.

The opportunity gap: Migrants who've settled in Australia in the last 10 years are more likely to rate career opportunities as a problem for them personally

Migrants who've settled in Australia in the last 10 years are more likely to rate career opportunities as a problem for them personally 57 per cent of recent migrants say career opportunities are a problem, compared with 44 per cent of Australians born here Source: Australia Talks National Survey

"The kids really don't learn that through their normal schooling, so it makes it really hard for them to dive out of school and straight into a job when they're not 100 per cent sure how they're supposed to turn up for interviews, or even structure a resume to send into companies.

"I think Ali has proven to even himself that you can do anything you really want."

Electrician Nick Lumsdale, with Ali Maisam, said the school's program was impressive. ( ABC News: Allyson Horn )

The program has already had remarkable success, with 96 per cent of last year's graduates now in full-time work or study, and nearly 20 students from outside Sunnybank State High School also joining Year 13.

Mr Maisam said he was proof the program worked.

"I'm really happy I went there and they helped me a lot," Mr Maisam said.

The ABC asked 54,000 Australians about their lives and what keeps them up at night — use our interactive tool to see the results and how their answers compare with yours.

Then, tune in at 8.30pm on November 18, as the ABC hosts a live TV event with some of Australia's best-loved celebrities exploring the key findings of the Australia Talks National Survey.