The collaboration between Melbourne-based Dr Jonathon Welch and Port Macquarie Community College will also be the first of its kind in NSW.

It was Dr Welch's frequent visits to the town that planted the seeds.

"I've always loved visiting Port Macquarie - how I wish I could live there," the director of the Choir of Hard Knocks said. Staff from the community college, also known as SkillsLink Training, were keen to get the project running.

"We wanted to make sure we're establishing something for the long run," the college's general manager Val Evans said.

People who have suffered disadvantaged through displacement or mental or physical disability are encouraged to get involved.

Dr Welch said the school's mantra of 'competence builds confidence' will benefit the entire region by developing people's mental and physical well being.

"That's one of the big issues we face in any community: how do we engage people and make them feel valued and valuable?" he said.

Skills centres are "perfectly positioned" to enact change because they can be a pre-vocational link.

"If you build someone's skill in anything it has a ripple effect that goes through into the rest of their lives," Dr Welch said. "Skills like turning up on time, working together and building confidence can all build pathways back to employment."

Plus it's a lot of fun, right?

"Everyone knows how excited I get about helping people explore their creativity," the Order of Australia recipient said. "Just come along and give it a try - you might just surprise yourself.

"It's important as adults to enjoy ourselves, because we don't really have the opportunity to play and have fun."

Ms Evans said she was "thrilled to have completed the formal agreement between our organisations, so that can now begin in earnest recruiting our singers and raising funds for the whole project".

The announcement of the school comes the day before the start of Social Inclusion Week, which Dr Welch started in 2009.

The opera singer encouraged businesses to jump into the week and pledge to the school.

"They will see their investment multiply many, many times over in terms of the health and well being of the community," he said.

"It really does take a village to support adults who have special needs, and we all have a responsibility to help those people."

The school's choir Absolutely Everybody will begin at the start of next year. Contact the college on 6583 7288 or admin@skillslinktraining.com.au to get involved.