Jonathan Thurston wants to give Indigenous kids in remote communities an opportunity for themselves and to inspire future generations.

The rugby league great's youth education and employment pathways academy has partnered with an organisation already with a footprint in remote areas of northern Australia.

Johnathan Thurston Academy's (JTA) delivery of its programs in schools is backed to expand its reach beyond the 650 young people in more than 40 schools they've already engaged with through construction company Durack Civil jumping on board.

They'll enter four more schools through the partnership.

Thurston said Durack is "already living and breathing in our Indigenous communities and providing opportunities for the next generation".

Now they'll turn their attention to younger ones.

A big part of it is what lies in the years ahead if the impact starts now.

"You can't be what you can't see," Thurston said.

"If there are opportunities for them, you know with Elders that are already working in this industry ... they can inspire the next generation to you know lead a healthy lifestyle, you know go to work each day, you know and support their family as well. So you know some of our strongest Indigenous people come from the remotest parts in Australia."

If confidence, courage and self-belief is further instilled, Thurston said, they'll be the ones giving back to their people down the track.

JTA was founded in 2018.

"Our programs aim to create behavioural change, cultivate positive attitudes, and support students in their journey to complete their education and secure meaningful employment," the Academy states.

It runs mentoring, career-guidance and skill-building, training and empowerment for young women programs with focus on academic success and all-round wellbeing.

A recent program in Hervey Bay was found to increase the school attendance of 71 per cent of students engaged, with 66 per cent described as improving their behaviour.

Thurston said the reason behind the academy is "because I was one of those kids".

"I felt a bit lost at times as well, and I was going down the wrong path, and I had a great support crew around me to help guide me through what I wanted to become, and that's what JTA does now, where we wrap our arms around the young people that we're supporting and help guide them, and walk alongside them," he said.

"We get them to show their confidence, you know, to have courage and to believe in themselves. And we at the academy believe if they can show those three characteristics, then our communities will be a better place, and our young people will be better people to give back to the community as well."

Thurston added the work can't be done alone, saying local Traditional Owners, families, schools and other factors play a key role in getting behind their young people.

The partnership with Durack is set for three years, with a funding component.

It's designed to spread the academy's footprint into areas they are already operating, like Milingimbi in Arnhem Land, Burketown and Doomadge in Queensland's north-west near the Gulf of Carpentaria coast.

Durack has been the provider of 25,000 training hours for local Indigenous workers across Burke Shire, and met or exceeded their own Indigenous employment targets on projects.

"The infrastructure we build matters, but the most valuable thing we can leave behind is opportunity. If this helps one young person find the confidence to pursue a path they didn't think was open to them, that's a legacy worth investing in," Durack founder and director James Durack said.

He says the partnership can "open doors" for JTA in communities, and create a positive cycle.

"The one thing that would tell me this worked is if the application rate to the JT Academy increased significantly, and and that we got true positive feedback from personnel who've been through the academy that it's had meaningful change in their lives in a positive way...That mightn't be getting a job in construction. It might just be this helped me build a foundation that's helped me have confidence in other parts of my life," Mr Durack said.