Nathan & Bolton, 2010; National Science Board, 2010). Contributing to this situation is the declining interest in science in western countries. The largescale international Relevance of Science Education (ROSE) study indicated that science is less popular than most other subjects (Jenkins & Nelson, 2005). Acknowledging ongoing issues with adolescent engagement, Wallace, Venville and Rennie (2005) suggest reforms to curricula underpinned by thematic, integrated project-based, and community-focused approaches. Taking this argument a step further, Dowden (2007) advocates a student-centered integrated curriculum in which students have opportunities to engage with the community in which they live, rather than specific subject areas, as the locus of educational interest. Evidence that supports the importance of authentic experiences acquired through community engagement with professional scientists has been reported by Rahm, Miller, Hartley and Moore (2003). These researchers described successful school-community partnerships that enabled students to work with professional scientists over time to ask and solve questions, and to recognize the attributes of a scientific and technological community of practice. The benefits of community engagement extend from the students to industry. Caldwell and Keating (2004), in examining public-private partnerships for education, highlighted the benefits of engagement with community and industry in the provision of more flexible educational experiences that value innovation and creativity. Other evidence in support of the effectiveness of partnership strategies on learning can be gleaned from studies in higher education (Gamble, Patrick, & Peach, 2010). To confront these issues of student engagement and to align schools with the knowledge demands of the 21st century, there is a growing recognition that education needs to engage in partnerships with the community and industry. The aim of this paper is to explore the establishment of such partnership