Talent RISE is pleased to announce that $89,172 has been raised in the 2024 ‘Step Up Challenge’ fundraising initiative which is aimed at helping young people with challenges to finding employment. These vital funds will be used for three life-changing initiatives. These are:

• EnterTech Program: Funding young people through work placements and training to acquire required skills and experience to provide a clear employment pathway for young people into tech roles.
• Paid Internship Scheme: Paid internships can be life-changing but are often impossible to secure for the young people we work with. This scheme will fund internships which provide critical experience to help young people gain confidence and secure employment.
• Equal Access Program: This program will support young people from refugee, asylum seeker, or Indigenous backgrounds by covering the cost of training (alongside RISE work readiness support) to provide a platform for future security.

In FY24, Talent RISE supported 554 young people with training and coaching, and placed 61 into meaningful employment.

On the fundraising efforts, Karen Graham, Talent RISE CEO ANZ said, “Raising $89,172 is incredibly heartwarming and a fantastic result that will help so many. Over the last 12 months the Talent RISE team have helped countless young people and will now be able to help many more because of the generosity of others. As in previous years, all of Talent RISE’s overhead costs are covered which means every cent that is raised goes directly to support young people facing barriers to employment.”

Nikita Vasiliev, a young refugee who is a recipient of the Equal Access Program, said, “Talent RISE has helped a lot with my journey and has had a really positive impact as I take my first steps towards my dream of becoming a nurse. It has been a relief to receive this scholarship and I am so grateful to the RISE team.”

Launched in 2014, Talent RISE is the charitable foundation of Talent – a leading global technology and digital recruitment specialist. To date, Talent RISE has engaged more than 5,000 young people through workshops and mentoring and has successfully placed over 500 into meaningful employment.

According to the ABS, the youth unemployment rate in Australia remained at 9.6% in June 2024. This figure, however, remains too high and is more than double that of the general population of 4.0%.

According to Stats NZ, in the March 2024 quarter, the seasonally adjusted proportion of people aged 15-24 years who were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) was 12.4%, up from 10.3% compared to March 2023.

Over the years, the Talent and Talent RISE global team has volunteered over 50,000 hours to give back to charities and community projects and are proud to add the ‘Step Up Challenge’ to the list.