Fostering Innovation and Impactful Opportunities

Dear SSE Community,

This month’s Jobs and Skills Summit demonstrated the imperative for, and the value of lifting capability, diversifying skillsets, and embracing continuous, lifelong learning. We witnessed leaders from numerous backgrounds and sectors come together and seek to find common ground on how Australia can build a better trained and more productive workforce; boost real wages and living standards and create more opportunities for more Australians.

At SSE we see the opportunities in today’s challenges; our programs are designed to enable and foster innovation and maximise opportunities for all. This month’s newsletter celebrates the innovative work of those in our communities and demonstrates why innovation is essential to an organisation’s, and an individual’s success. Through partnerships such as our continued engagement with the NSW precincts and councils, and our deep and abiding commitment to the regions and cohorts of young people striving to find their way and find their ‘why’, SSE is helping build Australia’s knowledge economy and removing barriers to employment for more individuals.

In this month’s Newsletter, we showcase some of SSE’s newest Programs delivering work-relevant skills training and learning pathways, and also highlight opportunities for you to get involved. Through collaboration, creativity, and commitment, we can all build innovative solutions that empower positive global impact both now and in the future. As Albert Einstein once said “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Welcome to our Spring edition! Let’s work together to build a more agile, skilled, inclusive and resilient labour force for the future.

Impact at scale is on the agenda: The Australian Jobs and Skills Summit Summary

The Jobs and Skills Summit was held in early September, bringing individuals together to work constructively on the challenges and opportunities facing the Australian labour market and economy. Prior to the Summit, the Government released an issues paper that outlined some of the challenges for participants to consider ready for contribution at the Summit. These issues covered five broad themes:

Maintaining full employment and growing productivity;
Boosting job security and wages;  
Lifting participation and reducing barriers to employment;
Delivering a high-quality labour force through skills, training and migration; 
Maximising opportunities in the industries of the future;

Led by the Prime Minister and Treasurer, the Summit sought to consolidate a list of key recommendations and immediate actions for both medium, and long-term reform. To learn more or to watch some of the highlights and sessions, click here .

This month the Team at SSE are thrilled to welcome two new team members, Jessikah Creswell, our new Marketing and Communications Specialist, and Philip John, who has taken on the role of SSE Program Lead. We caught up with both of them to learn a little more about their inspiration for joining SSE and captured some highlights below:

Jessikah Creswell has recently relocated from New Zealand to join SSE; bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from the entrepreneurial education space. Having spent the past four years as Marketing Advisor at Young Enterprise Trust (NZ), Jessikah is passionate about embedding entrepreneurship across all levels of education. Excited to join the dynamic team at SSE, she is committed to providing pathways and innovative futures for our youth.

When asked to share ‘two truths and a lie’, Jessikah replied “I was born in Minnesota, America, I was an international salsa dancer when I was younger, and I had my own fashion startup at age 17” … we’ll let you guess which two are the truth and which is false!

Philip John takes on an exciting role within the Team at SSE, as our new Program Lead. Inspired by SSE’s ethos and energy, Philip is excited to take on the creative challenge in this new position and brings with him vast experience that will undoubtedly be a great asset to SSE’s Program offerings. Philip believes “if you are prepared to look at the invisible and you are fully prepared to be uncomfortable, you will achieve the impossible. To learn more about Philip and his inspiration, we encourage you to read Philip’s ‘Fast 5’ here.

Rethinking Your Financial Future - Launching Phase 2!

Many of you will recall the launch of SSE’s new Program, Rethinking Your Financial Future (RYFF) earlier this year. With great success following the launch, the Team will shortly deliver Phase 2 of RYFF in the Tamworth Region. With 40 full-sponsored spaces available, this short course is focused on enhancing financial independence for young females and help to broaden their employment opportunities.

We spoke to one of the participants from the first cohort, who shared the following words of encouragement:

What did you most like about the Rethinking Your Financial Future program?
What I most liked was the guest speaker who were relatable and inspirational.
What was one thing that you learnt from the program?
One great tip was to have a sideline job to add income to your main job. 
How do you think the program will help you in your future?
It has made me more financially aware as well as more conscious at always different ways to earn money.

When speaking to the purpose and importance of RYFF course facilitator, Daniel Smith, noted “The RYFF program is designed to open up more pathways for regional women to provide them with the financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills to take more control of their finances and their lives. We want to be able to show young women the possibilities that exist in self-employment so that they aren’t stuck between making the choice of getting a job locally or leaving town, and to provide them with the financial skills to feel confident in forging their own path.”

To learn more about the Program, or explore opportunities to engage your community, email us at ask@sse.edu.au.

Igniting Innovation across Dubbo

In line with the theme ‘Innovation’, SSE is excited to announce the launch of another new, innovative Program, ‘Ignite’ that will deliver significant impact across communities in Dubbo, NSW. Launching 11 – 12th October, Ignite consists of a 2-day workshop designed to introduce secondary school students to the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. Through engaging learning experiences participants will develop growth mindsets and personal confidence to design and deliver innovative solutions to complex problems. The new Program has been exclusively designed to align with selected learning outcomes of the Department of Education’s iSTEM elective which is embedded in student’s School curriculum.

For more information on the Ignite Program, and to explore opportunities for your School’s participation, Lynn at lynn@sse.edu.au.

SSE’s latest collaboration Program - Coming Soon!

SSE has exciting news on the horizon, with a brand-new Program developed in collaboration with NSW Tech Central! Designed with leading startups in NSW, accessible for all, our latest online Program is sure to inspire, encourage creativity, and provide exclusive insights to the world of entrepreneurship. Watch this space for more information to be released soon!

The 2022 Women's Agenda Leadership Awards

Join an incredible gala lunch with an awesome live panel discussing key and current events.
This incredible afternoon of conversation and inspiration includes speakers such as the Minister for Women Katy Gallagher, 2021 Agenda Setter of the Year Aminata Conteh-Biger, and leading board director Marina Go. The event will announce the winners of the 2022 Women's Agenda Leadership Awards and creates the perfect space for a discussion on the issues that have grabbed our attention these past few months.

Date: Fri, 23 September 2022
Time: 12:00 pm - 2:45 pm AEST
Location: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

To grab your ticket head to their webpage.

INVITATION Swedish - Australian Innovation, Technology and Design Summit

The Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) and the Embassy of Sweden together with the University of Technology Sydney are pleased to invite you to participate in this joint special event on 28 and 29 September 2022.

The purpose of this summit is to highlight Swedish innovation, technology, design and sustainability initiatives. We will present examples of key innovation breakthroughs and feature successful Swedish-Australian collaboration and knowledge exchange, R&D and creative business development between Sweden and Australia.

You can find more information about the summit and RSVP VIA THIS LINK, or use the following email to ask for further information sacc@swedishchamber.com.au.

Design Your Own Employment (for ages 16-25)

Are you thinking about what's next after school? Where do you start?
Join Tania Krasinski, founder of Redwoods Work Collaborative and a job and networking expert, in this dynamic one-hour workshop. You will explore work options and an understanding of how business works. Get useful links to explore workplace rights, responsibilities and expectations in the work environment, find out more about your personal skills and strengths and learn about the Do's and Don'ts of seeking work. Snacks provided along with the opportunity to ask all your burning questions.

Date: Wed, 5 October 2022
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm AEDT
Location: Margaret Martin Library, Level 1, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre

Tickets are free so what are you waiting for! Click here for more information.

Join Venture Makers Innovation Challenge: Accelerating to Net Zero

The upcoming Venture Makers Innovation Challenge Accelerating to Net Zero held on 15 September 2022 will see interdisciplinary and international teams of students explore how the world can shorten the timeframe to reach net Zero to mitigate against the effects of dangerous climate change.

Teams will develop new ideas to drive acceleration in areas including the uptake of clean energy through innovations such as micro-grids, optimising electrification of mobility, and driving increased energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions.

Date: Thu, 15 September 2022
Time: 10:30 am – 8:00 pm AEST
Location: Launch Pad, Western Sydney University, Level 1, 6 Hassall St, Parramatta, NSW 2150

Secure your free ticket now - click here.