The “unique’ program - Step IT Up Australia - is being implemented during NAIDOC Week which started on 4 July and runs until Sunday.

The IT developer bootcamp program program runs for 6 months, with the first cohort of 14 starting in March this year..

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Participtants in the Step IT Up Australia program are:

• Participants are paid while they learn.
• The first cohort consists of unemployed women and people from Indigenous backgrounds.
• Participants are promoted after graduation to work in partner company for 12 months.
• Partner company can employ as direct employee 12 months after graduation.

UST Australia says it has partnered with its client, a multinational Australian digital bank, for the first cohort that will see graduated students working for the world-class Australian digital bank, known for its Agile culture and best practice technology delivery.

USalso lists other activities undertaken by participants in the Step IT Up Australia program as:

Here’s comments by two of the first cohort participants in the Step IT Up Australia program:

Indie, 18, from Bediagal Country/Beaumont Hills:

• “Before I came across UST’s Step IT Up Australia program, I had already enrolled myself in a course at a university in Sydney. I’m not sure what compelled me to make this decision, but it felt right. Joining the program has become a turning point in my life and one of the best decisions that I’ve made.”
• “It feels incredible to be able to code at such a young age. I am excited to enter the corporate world in just a span of six intensive months of technical training and professional development.”
• “Step IT Up has even helped me connect more with my culture. Being surrounded by other classmates from Indigenous communities, it has inspired me to learn more about my Wiradjuri heritage.”
• “With my mum’s family from Wiradjuri Country and my father’s side from Sri Lanka, it has been amazing to be exposed to the senior management and all the diversity there.

Jesse, 30, from Dharawal Country/Nowra:

• “Step IT Up Australia came as a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to be able to make a career pivot—from being a construction worker to a software developer.”
• “When I first heard about the program, it sounded really intensive, a little scary, but it also excited me. Four months in and I feel so grateful to be a part of the first ever group.”
• “Another bonus Step IT Up is giving me is a level of independence that I had been searching for, to move my life in a different direction and give me more opportunities.”