The innovative Study Melbourne Leadership Labs Program supported the empowerment and leadership skills of nearly 1,100 current and future international student leaders from 47 universities, TAFEs, and private institutions across Victoria.

Study Melbourne Leadership Labs Program was delivered to the international student community over 12 weeks from May to July. Partnering with Campus Consultancy, the Study Melbourne Leadership Labs Program brought many positive changes to international students’ personal as well as professional lives.

Following the successful Leadership Labs Program 1.0, Study Melbourne and Campus Consultancy are joining hands once again to deliver the ‘Leadership Labs 4Impact’ launching on Friday 14 August. Click here to find out more and register today!

Key impacts

  • 1,000+ attendees over the 12-week program
  • 80% of participants felt ‘very confident’ about the topic outcomes
  • Attracted students from 47 universities, TAFEs, and private institutions
  • Employability skills rated as ‘significantly increased’ by more than 84% of participants
  • 97.4% participants have the feeling of connectivity and confidence throughout the labs
  • Positive attitude towards studying and working in Victoria increased by 92.3%

The Leadership Labs program is a very timely initiative, especially during the coronavirus pandemic where we are all staying home. The content provided are tried and tested methodologies which help immensely in professional development. For me, it has given me even more confidence in reaching out for opportunities that Victoria has to offer. - Shohail, Bangladesh, Study Melbourne Student Ambassador

What do students think about the labs?

The first Leadership Labs event on ‘Self-awareness: What is Your Dream Career?’ attracted over 260 students. This session helped students identify and articulate their strengths, areas of interest and values and linked them to an exciting future career pathways. Understanding the importance of resilience and mental health’s stability during this unprecedented and challenging time, the following labs gave students a chance to learn how feelings of uncertainty often steal energy and provided them with strategies to help manage that uncertainty and other mental health issues.

The lab was so amazing in the sense that it covered almost every need of a student in this changing global scene in terms of corporate world and pandemic to empower them. - Gaurab Gurung, Nepal, Participant

To prepare students to advance in their leadership journey, the labs also focused on ‘Adaptive Leadership Archetypes’ which articulated four leadership archetypes, the role of each and when in their career can one adopt these archetypes to meaningfully contribute to their workplace, team and community.

‘Design Thinking and Creativity’ identified a real-world problem affecting international students in securing meaningful, non-exploitative work opportunities. Students also identified pain points and root causes of problems and devised solutions and assessed their potential.

By improving our creativity not only do we come up with innovative solutions to tackle these extraordinary problems, we can also increase the productivity in the workplace through cognitive, strategic and practical process”.  - Guler Arslantas, Turkey, Study Melbourne Student Ambassador

In the ‘Leadership Mindsets’ lab, students  learnt to describe the seven mindsets of servant leadership and apply them to real-world projects or challenges in their own lives.

A leadership mindset is how a leader defines himself: his story, his aims, what makes him, him. It is his self-awareness and self-reflexivity that helps him navigate situations and challenges. - Shashwat Tripathi, India, Study Melbourne Student Ambassador

The session on ‘Employability and Work Rights’ helped students develop a better understanding of their work rights and spread awareness of the support services available. Students also learnt how to find and apply for volunteering and entrepreneurship opportunities in Melbourne including direct outreach and traditional applications. They also helped students develop S.M.A.R.T. goals to watch throughout the year as to help increase their employability

Moreover, 92.3% students said that participating in Leadership Labs had increased their employability as well as career readiness through enhanced communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork and networking skills. The ‘Public Speaking for Leaders’ lab taught students how to use the 7-38-55 rule of communication and share stories in the Self-Us-Now format.

Student responses to Leadership Labs

The program is very engaging and informative. It has helped develop more global student leaders. Moreover, it has opened up a platform for them to communicate and collaborate with each other. With this, a harmonious environment of innovation and creativity has been made  - Shanaia Grace Chen, Philippines, Participant

As an international student I'm always ready to learn something every day and day by day I can start working on my future and help my friends to create a community full of new and good ideas. Meet new people is always something good even in this times and the point of asking other person about his projects is some that creates a new generation with the hope of reach of dreams and make them true. - Jessica Santos, Colombia, Study Melbourne Student Ambassador

For me the whole leadership labs program is a transformative experience. I love every single aspect of it. It is very comprehensive. The coach, Josh is amazing. The organisers, Chris and Olena are more than fabulous. The labs helps me to better identify the problems as well as the potential that I and my surrounding have.  - Nia Nguyen, Vietnam, Participant

Not only did I learn about several leadership skills, but I also applied them through numerous activities which included collaborating and connecting with the other participants. With this, I was able to further enhance other soft skills such as problem identification and solution as well as cultivation of the growth mindset. The program has taught me what it takes to be a leader, which is especially significant in my study, career and life post-COVID-19. - Shanaia Grace Chen, Philippines, Participant

Nowadays, we´re living an incredible and unprecedent challenging time where it’s completely and absolutely necessary the development of the most influential leaders. Definitely this program is achieving that goal spreading the most powerful tools. - Alejandro Rendón, Colombia, Participant

Study Melbourne Leadership Labs 4 Impact

Following the successful Leadership Labs Program 1.0, Study Melbourne and Campus Consultancy are joining hands once again to deliver the ‘Leadership Labs 4Impact’ launching on Friday 6 August at 3pm-4pm.

Click here to find out more and register today!

Leadership Labs - Podcasts