Australian Business Academy

Australian Business Academy 2010-03-10T23:49:28+11:00 Australian Business Academy urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news Media Room urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news50 2010-02-24T14:18:40+11:00 2010-02-10T11:39:00+11:00

<div class="side_flank"><img alt="Newsletter - ABA - Image - Media Room" src="/media/24-newsletter_aba_img_media.jpg" /> </div> <h1>Media Room </h1> This month you will find a range of pictures which are displayed below: Just run your mouse over the piece of media you want to open below and click on it to open into a bigger window. Stay tuned next month for more pictures, video and audio from around the ABA campuses... Also in this edition... <ul> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/48/Edition_7_Voice_CEOs_Corner">CEO's Message </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/50/Edition_7_Voice_Media_Room">Media Room </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/47/Edition_7_Voice_15_Seconds_of_Fame">15 Seconds of Fame </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/46/Edition_7_Voice_Where_are_they_now">Where are They Now? </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/49/Edition_7_Voice_How_To">How to... </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/45/Edition_7_Voice_Key_Dates_and_Coming_Events">Key Dates and Coming Events </a></li> </ul>

How to.. urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news49 2010-02-24T16:01:52+11:00 2010-02-10T11:35:00+11:00

<img alt="Newsletter - ABA - Image - How to..." src="/media/28-newsletter_aba_img_howto.jpg" /> <h1>How to.. Market Yourself</h1> Hi all, Around this time of year we have many students contacting us letting us know how successful they've been in finding employment. They are always wonderful emails and phone calls to receive. How is it that our graduates are so successful in this area? It's because our they are not only skilled, but they are confident and marketable. Knowing how to market yourself is an important skill to develop and this article won't give you everything you need to know. There are however, some important fundamentals to marketing yourself found in 'You Inc' written by John McGrath. McGrath Real Estate is one of the most successful real estate companies in NSW and has been built from scratch by John. He makes some important observations about marketing yourself including: - Not trying to be all things to all people (find your niche and unique selling proposition) and, - Your strength as a business person will come from not only your knowledge, but importantly. your networks. I hope as you read through this you consider the current strength of your network. Are you networking with people who are (or want to be) successful? Do you still have the same friends from high school that may not be useful as a network in the future but you just like hanging out with them? There's no correct answer here, just some important questions to ask yourself as you develop your business relationships before, during or after studying at ABA. Enjoy the read. Ps. If you have marketed yourself successfully please let me know at <a href="mailto:ssteele@aba.edu.au">ssteele@aba.edu.au</a> and share with me your story, I'd love to know how you're marketing yourself and what the result has been in your career. Warm regards, Sean Steele. <h2>You Inc. - Marketing Yourself</h2> The essence of marketing is meeting your customers' needs. It's not just about ads, brochures, websites or listings in the yellow pages. It's really about your attitude. It's about asking yourself, 'How can I serve my customers better today? How can I create world-class service? How can I convert my customers into raving fans of my business? Not everyone reading this book will own their business, or be a professional salesperson or senior manager. You might be unemployed, just starting on the first rung of the corporate ladder or working part time and nurturing secret entrepreneurial ambitions. It doesn't matter what stage you start of your career you're at or what your official job title is, you can start building your marketing and business skills right now. All it takes is a new mindset. From now on, consider yourself as your own professional services company. You Inc. It doesn't matter whether you're a driveway attendant at a petrol station or you're a brand marketing manager, you're a business. So ask yourself this question: would you buy shares in You Inc.? Do you see yourself worthy of being invested in? if not, you need to do something about that. How's your customer service? Every hour of every day provides multiple opportunities to provide great service. Every time you pick up the phone, it's a marketing exercise. You might not think you have many customer interface opportunities. But everyone has internal and/or external customers. For example, say you're the Accounts Receivable Clerk. If you pick up the phone after 12 rings, don't introduce yourself and use a gruff tone, this reflects poorly on You Inc. However if you pick up the phone on a second ring, with a smile and introduction, use the caller's name, and are polite and pleasant, You Inc, is implementing excellent customer service standards. Opportunities are created as a result. You're more likely to be noticed by your superiors and get a raise or a promotion. Other people might realize your great service as well. Perhaps a caller will say, 'I don't know what they're paying you over there, but you should come work for us.' So you need to work out what You Inc. needs to become a highly desirable investment. Work out a training program for your self-development. That could be to read six sales customer service books a year, listen to inspirational tapes and go to self-development seminars. Once you see yourself a business, you'll start running yourself as a business. You need to have a budget, a cash flow forecast and an investment strategy. You need goals, a business plan and a marketing plan. You also need to start building up some assets. Your net worth = your network The most valuable asset of any business is your relationships. Without them you are nothing. You might not have anything to sell yet, but that shouldn't stop you from building up a network of potential customers and useful contacts. Don't see them as someone else's customers. See them as relationships that you can build for your future business. When I was starting out in real estate, I had a strategy for customer acquisition, even though I wasn't getting paid any commission. I just recognized early on that the relationships I was building was going to be the most valuable thing I had. So start building a personal database to keep track of all the people you're dealing with. (It doesn't have to be fancy or high tech - even index cards will do.) Because every single day you have an opportunity to create another half dozen relationships and build your net worth. Be something to someone One of the greatest mistakes I see business making is trying to be all things to all people. Now their intention is extremely honorable - the desire to provide a great service or product to as many customers as possible. But the problem is this: in the pursuit of this ideal many miss the point, and that is.YOU CAN'T. It's sad I know. But true. You must make a decision about who you are, what your area of specialness or uniqueness is, and how you can connect that with the most suitable audience. Every individual on the planet is totally unique, but there are groups of people that enjoy, aspire to and gravitate towards the same things. These are called demographic segments. Some of the best known segments include Generation.com, Generation X, Baby Boomers, Single Career Females, Yuppies, Dinks and so on. You can certainly work with a few of these segments simultaneously, but it's virtually impossible to create a product, service process, marketing model , image or sales team that will appeal to everyone across the board. So decide which segments you want to own. If you had to choose two, which would they be? When I started to sell houses I focused on young couples who were buying their first home. I was young myself and aspired to own my first home, so I could totally relate to where this group was at. I also saw that almost nobody else was servicing them because the sales at this end of the market didn't provide agents with the large commission cheques they wanted. But it certainly worked for me, and I learned that servicing one segment extremely well paid handsome rewards. Also in this edition... <ul> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/48/Edition_7_Voice_CEOs_Corner">CEO's Message </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/50/Edition_7_Voice_Media_Room">Media Room </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/47/Edition_7_Voice_15_Seconds_of_Fame">15 Seconds of Fame </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/46/Edition_7_Voice_Where_are_they_now">Where are They Now? </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/49/Edition_7_Voice_How_To">How to... </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/45/Edition_7_Voice_Key_Dates_and_Coming_Events">Key Dates and Coming Events </a></li> </ul>

CEO's Corner urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news48 2010-02-24T15:42:51+11:00 2010-02-10T11:33:00+11:00

<div class="side_flank"><img border="0" alt="Newsletter - ABA - Image - CEO" src="/media/23-newsletter_aba_img_ceo.jpg" /> </div> <h1>CEO's Corner</h1> It is great to have the corridors buzzing with students! Welcome to all our continuing and new students and to our team of Learning Facilitators. We have had a terrific start to the Academic year with staff induction and student orientation. It was fun to see students finding and connecting with their new 'Buddies' and bringing everyone together at the 'Meet and Greet'. At the 'Meet and Greet' event we launched two exciting initiatives aimed at promoting the whole-person approach developing our students: the 'Future Leaders Forum' and the 'Good at Life' series. These professional development programs are being offered to all ABA staff and students for free (normally valued at over $4,250). More information regarding the 'Good at Life' series will be released shortly. Here is some further information for anyone interested in the Future Leaders Forum. The Future Leaders Forum 'Make Your Future Fly' is designed to inspire and promote awareness of your leadership strengths and capabilities in a series of monthly 90 minute forums. It is tailored to: • Develop Leadership and Management skills • Improve Communication and Influencing skills • Enhance Goal Setting and Achieve Results • Develop Awareness of 'Signature Strengths' and 'Authentic Happiness' For further information please contact 1800 063 049 or email <a href="mailto:info@aba.edu.au">info@aba.edu.au </a> Regards, <img alt="" src="/mediaserver/93/2009AugVoiceBenSig.jpg" /> Benjamin Farinazzo <a href="/media/144-photo1.jpg" title="Refer a Friend 2" rel="lightbox"></a> <a href="/media/145-ABA%20refer_a_friend%20CANBERRA_Cheque.jpg" title="Refer a Friend 3" rel="lightbox"></a><a href="/media/146-ABA%20refer_a_friend%20CAN_with%20KrisSM.jpg" title="Refer a Friend 4" rel="lightbox"></a><a href="/media/146-ABA%20refer_a_friend%20CAN_with%20KrisSM.jpg" title="Refer a Friend 4" rel="lightbox"></a> Also in this edition... <ul> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/48/Edition_7_Voice_CEOs_Corner">CEO's Message </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/50/Edition_7_Voice_Media_Room">Media Room </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/47/Edition_7_Voice_15_Seconds_of_Fame">15 Seconds of Fame </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/46/Edition_7_Voice_Where_are_they_now">Where are They Now? </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/49/Edition_7_Voice_How_To">How to... </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/45/Edition_7_Voice_Key_Dates_and_Coming_Events">Key Dates and Coming Events </a></li> </ul>

15 Seconds of Fame urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news47 2010-02-24T16:24:38+11:00 2010-02-10T11:32:00+11:00

<h1>15 Seconds of Fame</h1> <h2>Parramatta Student - Nukarin James Lewington</h2> <img width="191" height="168" style="width: 186px; height: 183px" alt="Nukarin James Lewington" src="/media/302-James%20Lewington.JPG" /> 1. When I grow up I want to... Be an AFL player. 2. My first impressions of ABA were... I thought it was a petty small campus. 3. My impressions of ABA now... Awesome bunch of people. everyone is like awesome =] , so awesome! 4. In the next 10 years I will... Be playing for the Sydney Swans. 5. I wish I had... Money in the bank. fancy car and a hot Mrs. 6. Coolest experience I've had was... Going to Italy with school. because the drinking age is like 5. 7. If I could be someone for a day I would be... Barry Hall. 8. My family is... Annoying 9. I'm best at... Sports, i play rep AFL 10. My friends always say I'm... Awesome... <h2>Learning Facilitator - Nicole Crossley</h2> <div class="side_flank"><img style="width: 163px; height: 198px" border="0" alt="15 Seconds of Fame" src="/mediaserver/292/Nicole+Crossley+15+Secs+of+Fame.jpg" /> </div> 1. Before I die I will... Enjoy a "Fun Run". I haven't found one "fun" yet. 2. The best thing about ABA students is... Their energy and their diversity. Watching students proudly receive their Diploma / Advanced Diploma at graduation is the best part of my job. 3. My funniest moment in class was... Most Sports Management classes last year in Canberra. We certainly had some fun moments. 4. I wish I'd never... Tried brussel sprouts. 5. As a child I was... Very shy. It's true. 6. My parents always used to say... Clean up your room. 7. My favourite place to get away from it all is... South Durras with no TV or Phones. I just switch off for a while. 8. If I was running the country, I would... Ensure people took responsibility for their actions. 9. My most embarrassing moment was... Accidentally locking myself out of a classroom during a student presentation. 10. If I won lotto I would... Do more traveling. <h2>Staff Member - Lucas Walker</h2> <div class="side_flank"><img style="width: 143px; height: 202px" border="0" alt="15 Seconds of Fame" src="/mediaserver/290/lucas+acads.jpg" /> </div> 1. My first impressions of ABA were... Small and friendly 2. My impressions of ABA now are... A friendly and supportive environment where the people actually give a dam about their staff and students. 3. The thing I like about my job most is... That work is always different, everyone is really fun to work with and I get to crank my Ipod through the speakers all day. 4. Something few people know about me is... I broke the NSW deadlift record for the under 82.5kg class by 17.5kg with a lift of 242.5. 5. At the weekend I like to... Have all my domestic duties done so I can train, watch NBA and hang out with my mates and Mrs. 6. At school I was... Always playing sport! In year 12 I was captain of the school and represented 8 different sporting teams, I was sports person of the year and representing the zone in 6 sports. I was also recruited by another school to play rugby for them. 7. I regret... "I do not regret the thing I have done only those I did not do". Lucas Empire records. 8. I'm most proud of... Buying my first home in the next few weeks (hopefully) and breaking the state deadlift record in my third competition. 9. The place I'd like most to travel to is... I have already been to Singapore 3 times, America twice, Mexico, Fiji, Thailand, Germany, England, Greece, Greek Islands and Italy. For my next destination I would love to explore turkey with its luscious mountains and pristine beaches. 10. I'd like to be remembered for... Helping people find the right pathway to their dreams, making the world a better place and inspiring others to become more than they are. Also in this edition... <ul> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/48/Edition_7_Voice_CEOs_Corner">CEO's Message </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/50/Edition_7_Voice_Media_Room">Media Room </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/47/Edition_7_Voice_15_Seconds_of_Fame">15 Seconds of Fame </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/46/Edition_7_Voice_Where_are_they_now">Where are They Now? </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/49/Edition_7_Voice_How_To">How to... </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/45/Edition_7_Voice_Key_Dates_and_Coming_Events">Key Dates and Coming Events </a></li> </ul>

Where are they now? urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news46 2010-02-24T16:09:45+11:00 2010-02-10T11:31:00+11:00

<div class="side_flank"><img width="202" height="328" style="width: 167px; height: 232px" alt="Luke Madden - Headshot" src="/media/288-P1020248.JPG" /> </div> <h1>Where are they now?</h1> Graduate: Luke Madden Year Graduated: 2008 ABA Qualification: Advanced Diploma of Sports Management 1. What has been your pathway since you graduated from Australian Business Academy? My pathway has involved a combination of extended study and employment. Through ABA I found a passion for event management and since graduating have paved a career and additional study in this field. 2. What does your day-to-day work involve now? I currently hold 3 occupations. 1) Surfing NSW (Event Coordinator main employment) 2) Wing Wetsuits (Team Manger) 3) Cronulla surfing Academy It is diverse; which is great! 1) Surfing NSW - I am the Event Coordinator for surfing NSW (which the state governing body of surfboard riding events). I work in the office 3-5 days per week as well as travel to many surf breaks to manage our events. • Office: role is to organise events through: organising staff, accommodation catering needs, daily food needed other than main catering, liaising with sponsors, Liaising with and completing council requirements/applications, gaining COC's -Insurance, developing risk management plans, creating site plans, working within budgets, equipment preparation and maintenance - our own and sponsors e.g. signage, monitoring entry lists for events, seeding the entry list and creating a heat draw (format of surfing e.g. who against who), preparation of documentation for all staffing needs and finally we have a computer system which we use on events loading the heats (through codes etc) is needed. • Onsite: My general role is to oversee, lead and mange the event - ensure all running smoothly. Our events are created with different sections of staff e.g. judges, work crew, commentators and beach marshal: I am to ensure they have the adequate equipment and needs to fulfill their roles. I also liaise with sponsors to create a signage plan - all of our events have a vast range and variety of signage. Our site setup is very important and I am responsible for getting this correct prior to event start time. • The above are for the medium to small events Surfing NSW run - they are my priority. I also work on larger scale events which my boss looks directly after- I work on adhoc roles in the office and at events on these events. 2) Wing Wetsuits (Team Manger) • Management of the 27 sponsored water-ski, surfboard, body board, wakeboard through organizing profiles, photos, orders, contracts, event sponsorship and marketing aspects. 3) Cronulla surfing Academy • Surfing instructor - from learn to surf 1st timers to junior elite groms! 3. Did your time at ABA help you to accelerate your career pathway? If so, how? In regards to additional study, definitely. I got RPL (Recognised Prior Learning) for a lot of subjects within my University degree. It has enabled me to work a lot more while studying. In regards to Surfing NSW - it did confirm I was right for the job with not only experience in the industry but also the qualifications. It has helped me with a lot of my day to day roles at Surfing NSW no doubt. 4. What do you remember most fondly about your time at ABA? Great teachers, small and interactive class, very operational and hands on environment; all enabling the best learning for Sports Management. The event management subject was my favorite - "actual" is the best word to describe it - as a class of 5 we were thrown out into the real world to discover, get knocked around, raise real money, book real venues and create our own event concepts - with tips from the expert herself Peta (sometimes big hints haha) - this freedom and experience in the ABA learning environment is unbelievably great for all involved! <img width="255" height="166" alt="Luke Madden - Surfing" src="/media/287-570_7May09-7_200957152233[1].jpg" /> <img width="272" height="198" style="width: 272px; height: 172px" alt="Luke Madden - Surfing 2" src="/media/289-8[1].jpg" /> Also in this edition... <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/48/Edition_7_Voice_CEOs_Corner">CEO's Message </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/50/Edition_7_Voice_Media_Room">Media Room </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/47/Edition_7_Voice_15_Seconds_of_Fame">15 Seconds of Fame </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/46/Edition_7_Voice_Where_are_they_now">Where are They Now? </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/49/Edition_7_Voice_How_To">How to... </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/45/Edition_7_Voice_Key_Dates_and_Coming_Events">Key Dates and Coming Events </a> </li>

Key Dates and Coming Events urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news45 2010-02-24T16:41:34+11:00 2010-02-10T11:29:00+11:00

<img alt="Newsletter - ABA - Image - Key Dates" src="/media/29-newsletter_aba_img_dates.jpg" /> <h1>Key Dates and Coming Events</h1> The key dates and coming events for the rest of this semester include: <ul> <li>Semester commences - 8th February (Term 1 Begins) </li> <li>Meet and Greet - 17th February </li> <li>Canberra Day holiday (ACT only) - 8th March </li> <li>Good Friday holiday - 2nd April </li> <li>Easter Monday holiday - 5th April </li> <li>Fun Day - 9th April </li> <li>Mid semester examination week - 12nd April - 16th April </li> <li>Term 1 concludes - 16th April </li> <li>Mid semester break: 19th April - 23rd April </li> <li>ANZAC Day holiday - 26th April </li> <li>Term 2 commences - 27th April </li> <li>Queens Birthday holiday - 14th June </li> <li>Fun Day - 25th June </li> <li>End of semester examination week - 28th June - 2nd July </li> <li>Semester concludes - 2nd July (Term 2 ends) </li> <li>Semester Break 2 July - 16th July </li> </ul> Campus Tour Times <ul> <li>Canberra - Tuesday 3pm-4pm, Wednesday 5.45pm-6.45pm, Thursday 2pm-3pm </li> <li>North Sydney - Monday 2pm-3.30pm, Tuesday 6pm-7.30pm, Thursday 2pm-3.30pm </li> <li>Parramatta - Monday 12pm-1pm, Wednesday 6pm-7pm, Thursday 2pm-3pm </li> </ul> <a href="/about/Contact_Us/Book_Tour_Interview/"><img border="0" alt="booktourinterview" src="/media/40-ABA_Book_A_Tour.jpg" /></a> Also in this edition... <ul> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/48/Edition_7_Voice_CEOs_Corner">CEO's Message </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/50/Edition_7_Voice_Media_Room">Media Room </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/47/Edition_7_Voice_15_Seconds_of_Fame">15 Seconds of Fame </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/46/Edition_7_Voice_Where_are_they_now">Where are They Now? </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/49/Edition_7_Voice_How_To">How to... </a></li> <li><a href="/news/2010/2/10/45/Edition_7_Voice_Key_Dates_and_Coming_Events">Key Dates and Coming Events </a></li> </ul>

VET FEE-HELP breaks down barriers... urn:http://www.aba.edu.au:news1 2009-08-12T17:28:25+11:00 2009-05-21T15:14:00+11:00

The Federal Government's recent introduction of student loan support for vocational education and training programs from approved providers is already spurring strong interest from individuals keen to improve their job skills, according to the Australian Business Academy. In just a few months since the roll-out of the VET FEE-HELP scheme, student enrolments at the ABA's campuses in Sydney, Parramatta and Canberra are up significantly on a range of eligible Diploma and Advanced Diploma level courses. "We have experienced a solid increase in enrolments in a number of our approved vocational education courses since the Government's VET FEE-HELP scheme has come into effect," says Australian Business Academy General Manager Sean Steele. "This is because the scheme has now given individuals, who previously may have been deterred or restricted from enrolling in vocational courses due to financial reasons, the ability to undertake a course and pay for it later, once they begin working." VET FEE-HELP is an extension of the FEE-HELP Higher Education Loan Program (HELP). It assists eligible full fee-paying students undertaking certain VET courses of study (diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate and graduate diploma courses) with an approved VET provider, to pay for all or part of their tuition costs. Individuals who use the scheme begin repaying their debt once they have graduated and reach a taxable income threshold of $41,594. "The OECD and Australian Federal Government have both recently acknowledged that we are going to need to put more people through vocational education and training to meet our skills shortage, because Universities don't produce enough students with the right skills to fill all the skilled roles Australia needs," Mr Steele says. "The ABA is one of only a handful of educational providers that has been approved for the VET FEE-HELP scheme at this stage and we have approval for courses in Business Administration, Graphic Design, Human Resources Management, IT, Management and Marketing, Sports Management and Travel and Tourism". "All of a sudden there are absolutely no barriers to anybody regardless of their age, their educational background or their financial position to upskilling themselves through a vocational educational course into a better paid and more enjoyable job, fast," Mr Steele adds. "We produce graduates much faster than TAFEs or other private colleges by having an accelerated course model. That's one of the major reasons why people come to us, because they can get out into the workforce more quickly and into a better-paying job". "If you always wanted to go to University but never got a good UAI, are worried about losing your job and therefore need to gain some qualifications or are a mature-age student who'd like to branch into a new career, you can now complete a Diploma or Advanced Diploma in 6 to 18 months and not pay anything for that course until you're earning over $41,594 a year. The ABA will even help you find a better job when you graduate." Mr Steele says VET FEE-HELP will be one of the key mechanisms for creating a more educated and better-skilled workforce in Australia. "It will help people who want to upskill because they're doing a dead-end job or have been recently made redundant due to current economic conditions. Now there's no financial barriers to them improving their educational qualifications and getting a better job". "We offer a free assessment service and advise them on what courses they can enrol in, whether they're eligible for VET FEE-HELP and where they can study in ACT or NSW." About Australian Business Academy: Australian Business Academy is a well-established business education and training provider with campus locations in North Sydney, Parramatta and Canberra. The ABA delivers nationally recognised and accredited Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma level courses. These courses are offered in an accelerated format that ranges from 6 to 18 months in duration. For further information, contact: Sean Steele General Manager 02 6248 0877 <a href="">www.aba.edu.au</a>