Griffith University, in partnership with Logan City Council creates opportunities for first year Environmental Planning students’ holistic development by building professional and authentic relationships with industry members on a real-life local food resilience project in the City of Logan, Australia. We use a mix of studio-based learning and its capacity to simulate the real workplace, with practical experience in community and professional engagement. To demonstrate well-rounded employability skills, students create a Portfolio of their work examples with strong visual evidence of their learning, including written reflection of “emotional intelligences” pitched to graduate competencies outlined by the Planning Institute of Australia.