Hi Leanne here.

When I had my children I took some time off work (I used to work in the State Government on climate change policy). And when I took a break I started thinking about other things I’d like to do more … like hang out with super nice people in the neighbourhood each day!

I imagine that lots of people are in a similar place now … they’ve scaled up or down their work for one reason or another, are reconsidering their options due to the opportunities and challenges of working from home, and are thinking about the fact that this is it, their one life.

It seems a pandemic does have a tendency to help one reassess (if one has any headspace left after the mundanity of everyday worrying).

Also… did you know I have an identical twin sister? Who had a bit more perseverance for bureaucracy than me? She’s been leading the roll-out of a fabulous new program by the Victorian Government. Designed specifically for those who are thinking about a mid-career career change, and with an interest in digital jobs.

The appropriately named Digital Jobs program was officially launched a week or so ago and offers (in a nutshell) a 12 week accredited and industry recognised free training course followed by a 12 week paid traineeship.

What’s interesting about this (Elise and I have been on multiple walks a week and I have lived all her excitement with the program vicariously) is the scope of the opportunities. The program is for people who think they’d love to get into digital marketing AND people who want to code AND people who like to set up systems AND people with a whole lot of other interests and skills that are underpinned by digital literacy.

AND … you don’t have to have done anything like it before. You just have to have been in the workforce for 10 years.

AND the traineeships are in all sorts of businesses, from small businesses like ours that increasingly realise that they need a strong digital presence, to big banks, to companies building increasingly sophisticated online shops, government etc. etc.

It really is quite a unique opportunity.

If you are interested, as I understand it you put your name down, and then you do an aptitude test (confirming that you have the mindset needed for these types of jobs - which I think will give you peace of mind that you are capable of embarking on this type of career change). Then you get to choose the course you want to do … followed by a traineeship … hopefully leading to a pathway to a new career!

Well that’s my take on it (you might want to read the fine print because I am often slightly distracted in our walking conversations by my dog 🐶 pulling on the lead etc.)

So here’s the official spiel (and links) if you are interested.

Do you have family or friends looking for a career change or looking to get back into the workforce?

Let them know about Digital Jobs - a new program to help 5,000 mid-career Victorians (from any industry) move into a digital career.

Applications for Round 2 of Digital Jobs (which starts 4 October) close this Sunday 22 August. Apply now for this round or future rounds.

Each round of Digital Jobs runs for six-months - offering participants a free 12 week course with a world leading training provider followed by a paid 12 week work placement with a Victorian business.

Some of Victoria’s leading businesses are offering placements including ANZ Bank, CarSales, MYOB, Swiss Wellness, Siemens, Infosys, AWS, NCS, Salesforce and many more.

Learn more and apply now at vic.gov.au/digitaljobs.