In April and September every year, Datacom kicks off each new rotation of its graduate programme by bringing early career starters from across Australia and New Zealand together for an orientation week, aptly named the ‘Talent Elevator.’
The Talent Elevator sets the scene for the graduate programme experience, designed to set new starters who have completed education up for success as they embark on their early career pathway, with team members from other early career pathways often joining in on the fun for the week too.
The week consists of workshops and training with the Datacom recruitment team and experts from across the business, including a session with Datacom CEO Greg Davidson as he shares advice from his own career and life at Datacom, emphasising the importance of making meaningful connections and ‘putting themselves out there,’ and introduces the company values.
It concludes with a highly anticipated hackathon, where teams work together to use tech for good and solve key issues affecting local communities. There are also a range of social events on offer for new starters to enjoy, from mini golf to cooking classes and more.
“The Talent Elevator is a great opportunity for new graduates to learn about the company, to meet new people and make connections across different teams,” says Ellen Hucker, who joined the Product Services Group (PSG) team after completing the April 2024 Elevator in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand. “It’s been so much fun – I’ve made lots of friends and even dominated at mini-golf.”
“What drew me to the graduate programme was Datacom itself,” says Ellen. “The fact that the business is Rainbow-Ticked, that it has really great sustainability initiatives and actively values diversity was important to me.”
She says the main thing she hopes to gain out of her time as a graduate is to maximise opportunities for learning and gives the advice to anyone considering joining the programme to ‘go for it, even if they don’t have a tech degree.’ “I studied chemistry and now I’m doing, well, not chemistry – you don’t need a specific degree for a specific role,” says Ellen.
Raj Rathod initially joined Datacom as an intern through its partnership with Amazon Web Service’s re/Start programme – a free, intensive training programme focused on helping underemployed individuals from underrepresented groups launch a new career in the cloud.
He had been studying an arts degree, when two years in, he took a digital ethics course that reawakened his interest in tech, spurring a switch to major in software development in a computer science degree. “Confused much,” he says jokingly. “That was when I found re/Start and discovered a passion for cloud, which I’ve followed since. I’m really proud that I had the courage to try something new and found my path.”
Starting in the same cohort as Ellen, Raj says he loved his experience applying and furthering his learnings from re/Start as an intern in the cloud team, so it only made sense to apply for the graduate programme. “I’ve grown so much already at Datacom and know I have the best support that will enable me to keep growing. The Talent Elevator has marked the start of my next step, and I feel well prepared to move into my graduate role.”
Early Careers Recruitment Advisor, Liz Olding, leads Datacom’s Talent Elevator and wider early careers programme, experiencing first-hand the profound impact the programme has for new team members entering the workforce.
“Our Talent Elevator is an introduction to Datacom that sets the stage for the growth career starters will undergo over the coming year and helps prepare them to succeed,” says Liz. “It’s always a week of fun and learning – it’s definitely a highlight of our early careers programme.”
“The early careers programme is a learning and development experience that career starters in our internship, trainee, work experience and graduate roles complete alongside their regular job responsibilities. We offer continuous learning workshops, social events, buddy pairings, mentoring programs, regular check ins and more.”
Liz points out that Talent Elevator is not limited to university graduates either and working at Datacom is not limited to people who have a technical background.
“Our early career opportunities and pathways are individualised to reflect the broad range of skills that our talent has and the different backgrounds they are joining us from. It’s really important to the team here at Datacom that we contribute to building a more diverse tech workforce and we do that by being open-minded about the different pathways people can take into the tech sector and into a career with us.”
Datacom’s early careers pathways support early career starters through a framework of holistic, wraparound support, guided by pillars of experience, connection and growth.
Liz says this means creating a sense of belonging amongst their peers and the wider business, developing individualised, achievable career tracks from day one and cultivating transferrable skills that accelerate performance and self-sufficiency.
“It’s been a really effective model for nurturing talent and setting people up for long-lasting, successful careers in tech that have a ripple effect in their circles and across Australasia more broadly.”
Applications for the April 2025 Datacom graduate programme are open from January 2025. Liz says she are her team are always looking for people whose values align with Datacom’s, who have the right attitude and are willing to learn.
Her advice for those considering applying? “Show us who you are – yes, skills are important and they are something we consider, but what will set you apart is making it clear that you will add to the culture we are proud to have at Datacom.”
