Lucy Mentoring Program
- What is the Lucy Program?
- What is the aim of the Lucy Program?
- Program Dates for 2009
- Who can apply at the University of Sydney?
What is the Lucy Program?
The Lucy Program is an innovative leadership program aimed at women studying in the Faculty of Economics and Business or the Sydney Law School. The Program inspires, motivates and educates women about the opportunities available for employment and leadership in the corporate and public sectors. This will be achieved by establishing relationships between individual students and mentors, who are all professionals in the corporate, public and not for profit sectors.
What is the aim of the Lucy Program?
The overall aim of the Program is to increase the likelihood that women studying in the Faculty of Economics and Business or the Sydney Law School will gain employment in the corporate or public sectors on graduation. This was the experience of one recent participant. She writes:
I joined the Lucy Program with high expectations. Understanding the organisation, receiving inside recruitment tips and making valuable professional contacts were just a few of the things I hoped to gain from the Program. I got much more.
I was fortunate enough to receive a placement at the NSW Treasury.
From the minute I got into the office, I was walked through the structure of the Treasury, sat through professional English training and completed a Hermann Brain test. Slotted in between were one-on-one coffee chats with the directors of each department. In that one week, I learnt more about the divisions and organisation than I could with a year of my own research. In addition, I had the time of my life.
I also made some great friends through the Program. During the summer holidays, I caught up for lunch with another LUCY mentor from the NSW Crown Solicitors. A few weeks later I started work as a part-time paralegal in the Administrative Law Division of the Crown Solicitors.
The LUCY Program has gotten me far; to places I never envisaged. My high expectations were well-exceeded.
More details on the Lucy Program are available the NSW Office for Women website.
Program Dates for 2009
- Applications for the Lucy Program will open on the 2nd of March
- Interviews will be held from the 21st of April until the 23rd of April
- The Lucy Program will launch on the 20th May
- The Lucy Program will end on the 24th of September
Who can apply at the University of Sydney?
To be eligible for selection for the program you need to be a female studying either a) in the Faculty of Economics and Business at second or subsequent year of study, or b) at the Sydney Law School in your penultimate year of study (i.e. 4th-year combined LLB program or 2nd-year graduate LLB program) with:
- Australian citizenship or permanent residency;
- Potential to contribute to the corporate or public sector;
- Commitment to complete the Lucy Program between May and September;
- Long-term commitment to contribute to the Program by assisting future Lucy mentees, including sharing your experience of the Program;
- Demonstrated leadership potential
- Effective communication skills
- A credit average or above
Priority will be given to students providing evidence of having experienced, or are currently experiencing, one or more disadvantages that may affect your entry into networks leading to employment in the corporate sector
Students who entered on the Broadway Scheme or who study on the Cadigal Program are encouraged to apply.
Please note: Priority is given to undergraduate applicants. Unfilled places may be offered to selected postgraduate applicants.
Students who have already participated in the program in either Faculty are ineligible to apply.
Applications for 2009 have now closed. Applications for 2010 will open early in semester 1, 2010.
Time Frame
Applicants must be able to commit to spending a minimum of 35 hours in the mentor's work place. This may be in a block or in stages over a period of weeks. Applicants must also be able to attend two major functions in late May and late September to mark the beginning and end of the program. Please download and read the Lucy Participant Manual (PDF) before applying so you have some idea of the time commitment.
The mentors, who are all in senior roles, have volunteered to share their work and life expertise, skills and knowledge with a student. Mentors are generally from the finance, accounting, business and legal sectors. Every effort is made to match mentor and student based on mentor's area of expertise and student's area of study/interest.