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Not-for-profit organisation Doxa provides programs to support disadvantaged young Victorians through their education, and they have gathered tips and insights from top career and financial coaches to assist young people looking to enter university, vocational studies or the workforce.
Good financial management, commitment and adaptability are important skills Victorian high school leavers must adopt to thrive in today’s world of work and life beyond secondary school, according to some of the state’s top career and financial coaches.
The end of secondary schooling is a major milestone for many young Victorians as they make the transition to adulthood and prepare to enter university, vocational studies or the workforce. Not-for-profit organisation, Doxa, provides programs for disadvantaged young Victorians to support them through their education.
“This period is often stressful for many young people and can become a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s particularly challenging for disadvantaged young Victorians who often struggle with finding and keeping meaningful work once they leave high school and enter the workforce,” said Doxa CEO, Steve Clifford.
To assist young Victorians navigate this challenging and exciting stage of their lives, Doxa has gathered tips and insights from top coaches including Finance Academy Australia, Heart Sparks and TRIPOD Enterprise Education. Each organisation provides self confidence, career, and financial management workshops across Doxa’s educational opportunity and employment pathways programs.
Keep your personal finances in check!
For many high school leavers, the transition to the workforce will become the first time that they will earn a salary. Chinmay Ananda, of Finance Academy Australia (AAA), assists disadvantaged youth to effectively handle personal finance throughout university as part of Doxa’s Cadetship Program.
“It’s important for young people to know how to handle finances once they start earning a wage. I always tell young people to always make more money than you spend. To know if you are making more money than you are spending, first you need to know how much you are spending. Remember, you shouldn’t make assumptions when it comes to finance; you should know the exact dollar amount,” he said.
Doxa Cadet and RMIT University Student, Kim Quinones, said as part of her professional development training at Doxa, she learnt about financial management and planning. “It’s been great to gain some new skills and guidance on how to deal with bills and manage your spending. Throughout my high school and university experience, financial planning is something we don’t get as part of our education, so it has been a big help for me,” she said.
Aim for commitment, not just motivation
Commitment is often viewed as a quality rather than a skill. Many young people believe they need more motivation, when in fact, first and foremost, they need to tap into a deeper commitment to what they really want.
“Being committed is a skill that can be chosen, increased and learned. It’s about continuing to show up when things feel hard and motivation is waning, especially in challenging instances where you are being turned down for jobs or further study,” said Johanna Parker, Life, Confidence and Speaker Coach, Speaker and MC at Heart Sparks.
Adapt your skills from one opportunity to the next
No matter what industry you land in, jobs and roles are ever changing. Young people need to not only embrace change, but be flexible in their dreams and aspirations.
“Sometimes to get from A to B, you might have to swing all the way past Z first. Those who embrace change and adapt their skill from one opportunity to the next will have a huge advantage in the future world of work. Whatever skills you learn in one opportunity or job will take you forward to the next, and use for the rest of your life. Understanding how these skills transfer is key to success,” said Betsy Tolmer, Director of TRIPOD Enterprise Education.
Former Doxa Cadet and now full-time Sales and Marketing Assistant at Melbourne-based agency Anecdote, Shelley Fenech, added that being able to communicate articulately is important in the workplace and this is something she’s developed during her time as a Doxa Cadet.
“Something they don’t teach you at university is that conveying your message in the most efficient and quickest way possible is highly valuable in a busy world. Having emotional intelligence is also crucial. The way you interact and work with others is super valuable. These relationships are what can foster your potential or hinder it,” said Ms Fenech.
Many of Doxa’s programs help disadvantaged youth gain the support, skills and confidence they need to be strong contenders in the workforce and active contributors to a university community. It is one of but a few Victorian organisations providing programs to support disadvantaged young people across key development and life cycle stages from primary school right through to university or post secondary school studies and employment. For more information on Doxa and its programs, visit www.doxa.org.au.
ENDS
Media contact: Jackie Smiles | jackie@flourishpr.com | 03 9092 8449
Entering the workplace for the first time was a pretty daunting experience. Having come fresh out of high school and being in my first week at University, I found that working in an office was very different from anything that I had experienced previously. My new role was to assist the Partnerships & Corporate Affairs team at Doxa, working in communications, stakeholder management, media and social media.
When I’m nervous I try to treat the situation like an ice-cold pool – sometimes you just have to jump in without hesitating
I was nervous as the beginning of my placement drew closer, and even more so on my first day! But it didn’t take long until I began to feel more a part of the Doxa team, and became more used to working in an office. After nearly a year now at Doxa, I’ve learned so much about office dynamics and the various tasks I work on, and now it’s nearly second nature.
Tom pictured in the middle at LinkedIn HQ, Melbourne.
The beginning of my placement proved to be a significant learning curve, in which I developed a whole range of new communication and technical skills, and gained a bunch of new experiences in a short period of time. I found myself working with programs such as WordPress when managing the Doxa website, (Salesforce when managing stakeholder communications and database tasks) and a variety of social media platforms (make sure you like/follow Doxa on Facebook, Twitter and Insta!). My practical experience with tasks such as social media analytics also helped to give me a practical background when we covered similar topics at university, which was super helpful!
As part of my time in the PCA team, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to complete a Project Management training course at PwC, which was a unique and helpful opportunity. We’ve all seen the looming corporate buildings on Southbank in the CBD, but I’d never really been in one before, and it was an eye-opening experience.
The two-part course was very high quality and thorough, introducing me in particular to strategies and processes to undertake new projects in new and helpful ways. I definitely took a lot of tips away from this course, and still implement some of them regularly into everyday life. One is an app called Trello, which I use to organize my study and assignments – check it out!
Project management training at PwC
Through Doxa, I also attended a workshop for media students hosted by Flourish PR (a media and communications company which Doxa works with to promote our brand). The workshop provided me with a valuable insight into the world of PR and Media. We had the opportunity to hear from all of the people who work at Flourish PR, including our stellar PR liaison Jackie Smiles and their CEO, Angela Ceberano.
Some of the main things that I took away from the workshop were the importance of going the extra mile in your work, tips on how to work best with clients, as well as some inspiring and funny stories about how each of them got to where they are today in their careers.
The wisdom of “starting slow to go fast” applies to a lot of things, from planning projects to personal well-being. One of the most important things that I’ve learned is the importance of balance and seeking to love what you do, even if you need to take a step back to figure out how you might achieve that.
I’m really thankful for the opportunity that I’ve had to be a Cadet at Doxa. Through it I’ve gained a whole range of new skills and experiences, and I truly believe that I’ve matured and grown as a person through it. I’m excited to see what lies ahead, both personally and professionally, and I’m sure that I’ll continue to draw from what I’ve learned here for years to come. Thanks Doxa!
Education HQ
Doxa School Bendigo
The Ball In The Mall is an annual community-driven event creates positive impact for disadvantaged youth in Bendigo. Students from Doxa School Bendigo gathered at Hargreaves Mall on Friday, 27 October 2017 for the region’s second annual Ball in the Mall, aimed at making a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged youth by providing them with an experience they wouldn’t normally have.
QBE working bee team at Malmsbury Camp
The team from QBE offices across Victoria came together and assisted with various maintenance and landscaping tasks across the site. Great work all!
If you are interested in choosing Doxa for your teambuilding day or CSR event, please get in touch at info@doxa.org.au.
Staff at our Malmsbury Camp are extremely pleased with the new fire refuge building that will provide much-needed protection during the peak bushfire seasons. It will also provide the team with a new office space and accommodation for visiting teachers, facilitators and staff.
Doxa Bendigo School students participating in the Ball In The Mall
VIPs on the night included Mayor Margaret O’Rourke, Councillor Rod Fyffe OAM, our CEO Steve Clifford and Doxa School Bendigo Principal, John Russell. One of the key drivers behind this initiative is Haylee Kennedy from headspace and the event was also supported by The City of Greater Bendigo, Anglicare and Victoria Police among others. It was fantastic to see the smiles on the debutantes’ faces and hear about their personal journeys.
St Albans Secondary College students at Future Focus graduation
We launched the pilot in 2016 with generous funding from the Colonial Foundation and were pleased to see it was a great success. We hosted our first graduation event in June this year at the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation at Whitten Oval. It was wonderful to see many of these young people undergo a transformation in their confidence, with many giving speeches on the night, supported by proud parents in the audience. We also held an awards night in November for our Year 7s to celebrate reaching the halfway point of the program – a great achievement.
Doxa Cadets and AECOM staff at the inaugural charity trivia night
The Melbourne team from engineering firm AECOM recently hosted their inaugural charity trivia night and donated the proceeds to Doxa. A number of Cadets attended the event and had a great time as well as making the most of a valuable networking opportunity.
Drop us an email at info@doxa.org.au if you would like to host a fundraising event for Doxa.
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