The refugees, who are students at Blackburn English Language School's Maroondah campus, received the bikes on October 19. The bikes were refurbished by 30 students from Swinburne's Wantirna campus.

Swinburne teacher June Harling said students went about sourcing the bicycles from a number of sources, such as Knox police, for the project.

The students also helped refurbish the bikes, sought sponsorship, and worked in partnership with the Migrant Information Network to hand out the bikes to the refugees.

Ms Harling said 13 bikes were handed out and a range of sponsors donated parts, transport and helmets to help put the project together. "It's such a fantastic community project to be able to bring those organisations on board."

The students, who are aged 15 to 18, also developed a basic bike maintenance brochure that gives tips on minor bike repairs.

Ms Harling said the project had helped teach the Swinburne students a range of life skills, from talking professionally on the phone to writing business letters.

She said the students had to work hard to fix the bikes because some were quite rusty and had to be stripped back.

The project has also given the Swinburne students to meet the refugees who they were donating the bikes to. A morning tea last week gave both groups the chance to mix and mingle.

Ms Harling said the 14-week project had provided a lot of learning experiences and a touch of empathy for people less fortunate than themselves.

The students have been studying for a Certificate in General Education and Certificate in Engagement courses.