NEGS Careers News - Term 1 Week 2

Avondale University | Application Help Days

From: February 6, 2023 to February 6, 2023

Applying for your uni course may be a little confusing or you may be too busy and unsure of what to do. That’s okay! We can help you apply in minutes.

When you book a call during our Application Help Days, we will talk you through the application steps so that you can start and finish the first stage of the online application during the call. All you need to do is:

• Book a 15-minute call
• Be on a device for the call (computer is preferred)
• Complete stage one of the application with one of us
• Tick ‘application’ off your to-do list!

WSU | Discover Western – Area of Study Webinars

From: February 7, 2023 to March 29, 2023

Learn about the large range of study options Western offers with our Discover Western Webinar Area of Study series. Each webinar will focus on a specific area of study and will include virtual access into the facilities on campus.

WEP | Student Exchange Info Session

From: February 7, 2023  to February 7, 2023

Imagine making friends from all over the world, learning about yourself and the world around you and seeing sights you could only dream of! Find out more about your student exchange opportunities at WEP’s online info session.

University of Sydney | Pathways to becoming a registered physiotherapist

From: February 8, 2023 to February 8, 2023

Interested in improving quality of life? Join us for a discussion with the academic director to discover how our degrees in physiotherapy combine practical learning with clinical placements and prepare you for a fulfilling career. Learn about our new high performance sport study option and pathways to study physiotherapy including via exercise sports science and our new Doctor of Physiotherapy.

ACPE | Open Day

From: February 11, 2023 to February 11, 2023

Attend workshops, explore the campus and secure your future in sport.

What’s on at Open Day:

• Meet with academic and student support staff to get answers to your study and student life queries
• Chat with current students about their experience at ACPE
• Learn all about our in-demand courses
• Find out where a qualification from ACPE can take your career
• Take a tour of our Sydney Olympic Park campus
• Discuss your study options with our Admissions and Enrolment team
• Get a personalised study plan
• Enrol on the day for your next semester

Basair | Pilot Career Seminar, Sydney

From: February 13, 2023 to February 13, 2023

Learn about career paths, salaries, entry level jobs, qualifications, pilot courses and everything you need to know about becoming a Commercial Pilot in less than a year at Basair.

Charles Sturt | Explore Days 2023

From: March 7, 2023 to March 28, 2023

Are you in Year 10, 11 or 12? Explore Day is your chance to check out what life at Charles Sturt University is like – but with a twist!

Keen to check out where you’ll be staying? You’ll get to take a look at our accommodation and tour our campus, chat with students and get the lowdown from lecturers. There’s even a free lunch and a swag bag of goodies. But the best bit about Explore Day? You can get involved! Pick which interactive session/s interests you, book your spot and then get set for some hands-on learning that’s also a whole lot of fun.

Each of our Explore Day campuses will run different sessions on everything from arts to vet science. There’s lots for you to explore.

UN Youth | NSW State Conference 2023

From: March 10, 2023 to March 12, 2023

UN Youth New South Wales’ State Conference 2023 will see up to two hundred high school students from across the state meet at Collaroy Centre (Collaroy, New South Wales) to learn about leadership, diplomacy and advocacy and to take part in the global conversation about international law. At State Conference, you will form friendships with a diverse array of students from all around New South Wales and become inspired to deliver change in your community and globally.

The 2023 State Conference focuses on the theme of ‘Conflict in the Modern Age’ and spans two and a half days, giving students a whole weekend to make new friends from across the state! Delegates (students) will spend the first day of the State Conference meeting each other, getting involved with our interactive modern conflict workshops and tackling a simulated Interactive Problem Solving activity. The final day of State Conference is the Delegate’s chance to emulate a member state of the United Nations in Model UN committee debates. Get into a diplomat’s shoes for a day and do your best to pass resolutions that will benefit the global community and align with your national interests – not always an easy task.

In 2023, we are also offering better ways to access our event. For young people who may need financial or another type of assistance, please use our accessibility scholarship application.

BiG Day In UTS

From: March 14, 2023 to March 15, 2023

Join us at UTS for the 2023 BiG Day In event – hear from organisations such as Adobe, Australian Space Agency, Microsoft, Animal Logic, Westpac, TCS, Woolworths, Avanade, Wisetech Global & loads more to come – all talking about where a career in technology can take you.

Understanding scholarships for refugees and asylum seekers

Unfortunately, people who are seeking asylum or refugees with temporary protection visas are often unable to access financial support from the government to go to study in Australia. If you are in this situation then you could face high fees to continue your education, or, even worse, not be able to attend at all.

On the bright side, many of the universities and other institutions have created specific scholarships for refugees and asylum seekers, which means if you are in this position then you may be able to access alternate funding to allow you to study.

What should you look for?

Not all scholarships are the same:

• Some will cover all of your fees as well as provide a living stipend which covers some of your other costs, like accomodation, transport, and food
• Other scholarships just cover some or all of your fees, and
• Some just provide a living stipend, but don’t cover the fees.

Most universities will offer a scholarship specifically for refugees and asylum seekers. Sometimes these are labelled ‘Refugee Scholarship, but they may also be called Humanitarian Scholarships, Sanctuary Scholarships, or Asylum Seeker Scholarships.

Here’s how you could get a refugee scholarship to cover your study costs:

We know that you might face additional barriers in applying for a scholarship if you are from a refugee or asylum seeker background, and the process is not always straight-forward, but there are some steps you can follow to start the process:

Work out where you want to study
This will determine where you apply, and what kind of scholarship you apply for. Not all scholarships cover all types of education, so if you want to finish secondary school you will need to find a scholarship that allows you to do that. If you’re thinking about university then you need to know that not all universities offer all types of degrees, so you need to find one that offers the course that will lead to the career you are interested in.

Search for eligible scholarships
Sometimes you can find these on Google, but you could also try reaching out to the place where you would like to study, because they may also be able to help you find funding. You could also try using a refugee scholarship search engine, like this one from the Refugee Education Special Interest Group, and we’ve listed a few good ones below. The UNHCR also has a great database with loads of global opportunities here.

Check open and closing dates
You can only apply at certain times of the year, so check out when applications open and also when the close. You will want to make a note of any closing dates so that you don’t miss the deadline!

Read the eligibility criteria
You will only be successful if you meet the eligibility criteria, so check that you have the right visa number and meet other criteria like the length of time you’ve been living in Australia. For many of the university scholarships you need to have received an offer from that university before you can apply.

Get your documentation together
This one can be tricky – you’ll need to get a range of documents together to support your application. You can expect to provide your visa details, as well as travel documentation, and you’ll also need evidence of your academic abilities. We always suggest that you start this process as early as possible, and keep all your documents together so you can use them to apply for multiple scholarships.

Complete the process BEFORE the closing date
This includes sending across all supporting documentation by the deadline. Usually you won’t need to complete an interview or any other procedures, but if these are part of the process then get onto them as well so you don’t miss out.

Check out these refugee and humanitarian scholarships:

• SSI Allianz Refugee Scholarships – Between $1500 and $5000

For people from refugee backgrounds in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland

• Deakin Sanctuary Scholarships – 100% tuition fee waiver, plus $6,000 annual stipend, plus academic and social support

For undergrad and postgrad study at Deakin

• UQ Refugee and Humanitarian Scholarship – 100% tuition fee waiver, plus $8,000 annual stipend

For undergrad and postgrad students at UQ

• ANU Humanitarian Scholarship – 100% tuition fee waiver, plus $21,000 p/year for Year 1 and 2, and $13,000 p/year for Year 3 and 4

For undergrad students with an offer to ANU

• UNSW Sanctuary Scholarship –  100% tuition fee waiver, plus $5,000 annual stipend, plus on-campus accommodation

For coursework students with an offer for UNSW

• Adelaide Refugee & Humanitarian Undergraduate Scholarship – 100% tuition fee waiver, plus $2,500 once-off payment

For all single programs (excluding medicine, dentistry etc.)

Getting Ready for Work

Five signs you might be ready for your first job

Have you started thinking about working for the first time?

It’s a big step, but a good one – the research shows that young people who work part time at some point during their education may find it easier to move into a full-time job, and take less time to find a stable job than those who don’t work while they’re still at school.

If you’re wondering if you should be looking for a job, here are five signs that may indicate that you’re ready to work part time:

1. You are thinking about making some money

This could be to have more control over what you can buy, to save for something big like a car, or just because you’re ready to start building your wealth and working towards billionaire status. If you’ve been thinking a bit lately about how much money you have then that might be a good sign that you’re ready to look for a job.

2. You can manage your time by yourself

To work part time you’ll need to be reliable and keep track of your own time and shifts, so if you feel like you are able to manage your schedule by yourself then this could be a good sign that you’re ready to take on more responsibility.

3. You feel confident talking to adults
Even if you find a job with a large proportion of teen workers (think fast-food, the supermarket, or the pizza shop), you’ll still need to be able to speak confidently with adults, so if you feel like you’ve crossed this barrier lately then you might be ready to work. You’ll know if you’ve reached this stage because you feel confident buying things at the shop, or calling the hairdresser to book a haircut.

4. You are old enough to legally work
There are rules around how old you need to be before you can start work, so if you’ve passed those age barriers then it’s a sign that you’re ‘officially’ old enough to work. If you’re not sure, search online for labour laws in your location and do your own research (if you can do that, it’s another sign you’re ready to work).

5. You want to build more work-ready skills
Working part-time is a great way to make a ‘soft’ entry into the workforce – you’ll have more space to learn the ropes and it’s expected that you’ll probably make a few mistakes. You’ll learn about shifts and uniforms, timesheets and payslips, and you’ll also learn a lot about working in an adult environment, which can help you prepare for working in a more formal and less forgiving environment down the track.

After all this, if you think you’re ready then the next thing to do is starting looking at jobs around you in the kinds of workplaces you’re interested in.

Translating the stuff you do now into language employers will understand

Do you ever feel like you do lots of great things, but you’re not sure how to word this in a way that an employer would understand? We’ve got five examples here of how you can translate the great stuff you do every day into grown-up language for application forms, resume, and written statements.

The truth is that we spend a lot of our time talking to young people, and we know that you do so many amazing things that are preparing you for the world of work. Things like managing social media followers, starting your own online business, coding mods for minecraft, refereeing sports teams, and caring for family members. But it’s not always easy to word these amazing achievements in a way that makes sense to those of us who grew up before social media was a thing, which is where you need a translator.

We used ChatGPT to generate professional-sounding descriptions that you could use in a resume or an interview. To generate these answers, we used the prompt “Write a short role description for….”

Social Media

If you’ve managed your social media accounts as an influencer, you have;

…used your personal brand and online presence to engage with followers and promote products and services. Your key responsibilities included:

• Creating and publishing high-quality content across multiple social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter,
• Engaging with followers by responding to comments and messages and creating interactive content, such as polls and Q&As
• Collaborating with brands to promote their products and services through sponsored posts and collaborations
• Building and maintaining a strong personal brand by consistently publishing relevant and engaging content that resonates with your audience,
• Staying up-to-date on industry trends and emerging platforms to expand your reach and engage with new audiences,
• Utilising analytics tools to track the success of your content and adjust your strategy as needed, and
• Building a network of fellow influencers and industry professionals to expand your reach and opportunities for collaboration.

Your unique voice and engaging content helped you to build a large following and establish yourself as a trusted authority in your niche.

Started your own business

If you’ve started and run your own online reselling business, you have;

…started your own business by sourcing and reselling products online. Your key responsibilities included:

• Sourcing products from various suppliers to offer a diverse range of products to customers,
• Listing and managing products on online marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay,
• Creating and implementing marketing strategies to increase sales and attract new customers,
• Responding to customer inquiries and handling orders and shipping logistics,
• Analyzing sales data and customer feedback to continually improve the customer experience and increase sales,
• Staying up-to-date on industry trends and consumer preferences to make informed purchasing decisions and maintain a competitive edge, and
• Managing financial records and tracking expenses to ensure profitability.

With your entrepreneurial spirit and drive, you successfully started and grew your own online reselling business, providing customers with high-quality products and exceptional customer service.

Coded game modifications

If you’ve created your own modifications for Minecraft (or any other game), you have;

…demonstrated exceptional skills in game design, development, and project management.

They have a deep understanding of game engines, programming languages, and industry-standard tools and techniques, as well as the ability to turn creative ideas into engaging and interactive gaming experiences. This individual is a self-starter with a passion for games and the ability to work independently or as part of a team. They have demonstrated their ability to successfully manage all aspects of game development, from conceptualization to launch, and have produced a game that is enjoyed by a significant number of players. Their unique experience and skill set make them an asset to any game development team.

Refereed a junior sports team

If you’ve started and run your own online reselling business, you have been;

…responsible for enforcing the rules and regulations of a sporting event to ensure fair play and the safety of participants. They make on-the-spot decisions during the game, such as determining penalties, awarding points, and resolving disputes. Additionally, they may also be responsible for keeping score, operating equipment, and communicating with players, coaches, and other officials. Junior Sports Referees typically work under the supervision of experienced referees and may receive training in a specific sport’s rules and regulations.

Cared for a disabled family member

If you’ve started and run your own online reselling business, you have;

…demonstrated exceptional compassion, patience, and responsibility. They have provided daily support, assistance, and care to a loved one with a disability, ensuring their well-being and quality of life. This individual has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and is experienced in providing personal care, managing medications, and assisting with daily activities. They have also demonstrated strong organizational skills, as they have managed schedules, appointments, and household tasks while providing care. Their unique experience and dedication to caring for others make them a valuable asset to any caregiving or support role.

How you could use Forage Work Experience to build your skills online

Forage is a free online work experience provider that gives you access to real industry-related tasks from actual employers, and they’ve been around for a little while now, so I thought it was time we had a closer look at how their programs work and how you can use them to make your resume stand out from the crowd.

In almost every interview you’ll face a question about your industry-related experience – even as a school leaver. Whether you’re interviewing for a job or a place in a course, you’ll need to be able to show that you’ve done your homework and confirmed that this industry is right for you. But if you’ve only just left school it can be difficult to get that all important experience, which is where programs like Forage can bridge the gap.

If you’ve completed online work experience in a relevant industry, then the interviewer can see that you have put in the effort and are actually interested in the role. Forage and other similar providers offer work experience for a huge range of roles, which means you should be able to find something that suits the job you are applying for,  and the programs can usually be completed relatively quickly online from home.

Let’s look at an example; imagine that you’ve scored an interview for a legal cadetship but you don’t have any work experience related to law, or any opportunity to speak with an actual lawyer. You could jump on to Forage and in around 6 hours complete their Ready, Set, Law program. In your interview, you’ll be able to talk about what you’ve learnt from the tasks you completed and justify your interest in the role.

Show me the programs

Ok, I’ve pulled out some of the programs I think could be great for students in Years 9 to 12 here, but don’t forget to check out the full range online. I’ve tried to focus on programs from Australian companies here:

Coordinators

• Strategy Consulting from Accenture Australia
• Project Management from Accenture
• Planning from Lululemon

Informers

• Leading a Classroom from Teach for Australia
• Financial Audits from Grant Thornton Australia
• Climate Change and Sustainability from BCG

Innovators

• Software Engineering from CISCO
• Software Engineering from Electronic Arts (EA)
• Technology from Deloitte
• Employment Law from Marrickville Legal Centre
• Law Fundamentals from Monash University

Guardians

• Jobs in Government from NSW Government
• Molecule to Market from Pfizer
• Occupational Rehabilitation from APM

Linkers

• Preparing for the workforce (business focus) from ANZ
• Banking from CommBank
• IT Sales from CISCO
• Merchandising from Lululemon
• Event Operations from Moreton Bay Regional Council
• On-Premise Sales from RedBull

Makers

• Cyber Security from ANZ
• Data Science from British Airways
• Advanced Manufacturing from Moreton Bay Regional Council

Note: We’re not being paid by Forage, but we think they’re doing a pretty good job filling a gap in this space. There are a huge range of other providers out there, so don’t just stick to what you can find on forage, but do try to find a provider that will offer you a certificate or other form of recognition and be careful who you share your data with. 

Nine podcasts with all the study tips and advice you could ever need

Looking for study tips and love listening to podcasts? You might want to check out these gurus with all the insights:

1. Study with Jess – A youtube based podcast dedicated to helping students study smarter, not harder
2. CDU Study Skills – The ‘I wish I’d known that” podcast with tips from uni students
3. The Exam Study Expert – Tips for working smarter, not harder from a psychologist
4. The Study Sessions – A podcast that offers advice and support for students looking to improve their study habits
5. The Skills Pod – All about maths and study skills from the Uni of Chester’s Academic Skills team
6. Chloe Made Me Study – Perfect for non-traditional students who are mature age, studying online, or just don’t fit into the normal ‘student’ box
7. The College Info Geek Podcast – A podcast that provides practical advice for students on a variety of topics, including studying, test-taking, and productivity
8. The Productivity Show – Tips on productivity, time management, and efficiency in all areas of your life
9. UnstoppableTeen Podcast – With study skills, employability tips, and more

How to network at school events: tips and tricks for students

Networking is an important skill for students to develop, as it can help them build connections and expand their professional opportunities. School events are great opportunities for students to practice their networking skills, as they bring together like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Here are some tips and tricks for students looking to network effectively at school events:

1. Do Your Research: Before attending the event, research the attendees and the organization hosting the event. This will help you understand the purpose of the event and identify individuals who you would like to connect with.
2. Prepare an Elevator Pitch: An elevator pitch is a brief and concise introduction of yourself. It should include your name, what you study, and what you hope to achieve. Having a clear and concise elevator pitch will help you make a strong first impression and start conversations more easily.
3. Dress Appropriately: First impressions are important, and your attire is a big part of that. Dress in a way that is professional, yet comfortable. Your attire should match the type of event and the attendees you will be interacting with.
4. Be Confident and Approachable: When you attend the event, be confident and approachable. Smile and make eye contact when speaking with others. People are more likely to remember you if you make a positive impression.
5. Ask Questions: Ask questions about the individuals you meet, their backgrounds, and their experiences. This will show that you are interested in them and will help you build a connection.
6. Follow-Up: After the event, make sure to follow-up with the individuals you met. This can be done through a simple email or LinkedIn connection request. Maintaining these connections will help you build a professional network that you can rely on in the future.

In conclusion, school events provide a great opportunity for students to network and make valuable connections. By doing your research, preparing an elevator pitch, dressing appropriately, being confident and approachable, asking questions, and following up, students can make the most of these events and build their professional network.