Looking forward to 2022!
It’s been a big year at Illume!
In this one year anniversary, I’d like to share our Origin story and Why we do what we do.
Illume Origin:
When COVID-19 hit and changed the way we do things- working, studying, looking for jobs, finding your community, we knew we had to do something for our graduates. Having graduated in the midst of 2009 Global Financial Crises, I could relate how the economic uncertainty might impact our growing number of graduates. Many students were coming to us for career guidance, looking for opportunities and a community to belong to. The situation was even more challenging for international students who lost the opportunity to connect with their peers and university in person and soak in to what Australia has to offer.
With the support of my dear friends and advisors, Willian Korim, Manorani Guy, Shanton Chang, Annie Santhana, Elena Kelareva, we launched our first Fellowship Program in Jan 2021. Starting with 7 Students, we were able to secure employment for 5 of the fellows post program (2 of them still had Uni to complete). Since then we have supported over 34 fellows, 22 of them now employed in their field.
Why we do what we do:
We often see many talented graduates unemployed or underemployed, unable to find a job in the area they graduated as. Not because they can’t do the job but because they have no access to such opportunities or lack network or guidance. Our goal with Illume is to make opportunities accessible and help graduates kickstart their career through structured program, mentorship and network building. Rather than telling students how to do your resume or interview, we like to help you think ‘innovatively about your career’. And what better than being exposed to startups and founders who are at the forefront of innovation.
Looking ahead for 2022:
Times of economic uncertainty are often when the best innovations emerge. This is the time for experimentation and growth. On the other side of this pandemic, we envision a world that is significantly better for people and the planet and we hope by connecting our talented graduates with startups, we are able to take one step closer to that reality.
JOIN OUR Exclusive SLACK COMMUNITY
These are strange times, yet a time to create a community that supports and inspires you. Hence, we are opening our Exclusive slack community to graduates to learn, share and network. If you’d like to be part of it, Express your interest here:
We are so glad you are with us on this journey!
Have a wonderful Holidays from Illume Family :)
Cheers,
Laxmi | Founder, Illume Foundation
Illume Update:
Congratulations!!! Manmeet Kaur, Supriya Makane, Li-Chi, HongLeang, Kadambari (Kadz), Aarti and Sarocha for your new jobs. We wish you all the best!
Read Blog: Our Illume fellow, Supriya shares her learnings on why Networking Right: Why it matters and how to do it well here.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Robotic Process Automation Workshop: BE JOB READY & GET HIRED !!! Take time this Summer break to learn a new skill and opportunity to be hired! Illume Foundation in partnership with VIS Global Pty Ltd are offering 100% scholarship to our upcoming 5 weeks program on Robotic Process Automation. Learn from Industry experts, build a bot and pitch to potential employers. Opportunities for roles post program. 100% Scholarship available as part of our initiative, 'Upskill for Advancing Economy', our pledge to prepare for Future of Work.
Apply now for Robotic Process Automation via our website
Volunteers Wanted:
Illume in partnership with Khorus Media are providing opportunity to two graduates in Film/Video/Marketing to be part of exciting documentary project showcasing Student Life in Australia. Some experience in video production would be good but not necessary. If you are interested, please email info@illumefoundation.org
Did you know:
Year-on-year startup job growth reached record levels, at 10.75% between 2018 and 2020. This is significantly higher than job growth in Victoria’s economy, which was set to reach 3.1% annual growth between 2018 and 2020, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (pre-Covid). Read more about this here.
That’s all for this time :).