Alumni at Koonung  

Students from Koonung Secondary College obtained knowledge about what it takes to work at and how to get a job at a multinational organisation, one of "The Big Four," KPMG. 

Our current Koonung students have some fantastic opportunities to attend Industry Insights excursions thanks to our Alumni Program and partnership with OurSchool, a non-profit organisation that supports government secondary schools in developing a strong alumni network for the benefit of current students and the school community. 

More than 150 students from ten public secondary schools (OurSchool partner schools) that have alumni programs attended the KPMG Industry Insights session in person on level 37, 727 Collins St. Docklands, on Friday, June 16, including five Koonung Secondary College students, Koonung Careers Teacher Karen Riding, and Alumni Programme Coordinator Nancy Manders; to learn about routes into the Audit, Tax and Advisory professional services industry.

The session (seen in the images above and below) comprised a main panel discussion, small group talks with individual KPMG staff members, and a delicious morning tea. The majority of the KPMG staff members were alumni from public high schools. Students and teachers who attended the session at KPMG's Docklands headquarters on the 37th floor were further fortunate to be given guided tours of the company's cutting-edge workplace, which provided breathtaking views of Melbourne. The Q&A panel session was also streamed live to the schools involved.

For current Koonung students who are interested in working for one of "The Big Four," it was a great networking opportunity. “They had the chance to connect on LinkedIn, ask the KPMG panel questions, and get their business cards. We strongly advise our Koonung students to take these extremely beneficial networking actions in an effort to expose them to people who can help them get a foot in the door.” said Nancy.

Many thanks to the following KPMG staff who took part in the panel and group chats:

• Corrina Bertram, South Gippsland Secondary College alum, KPMG board member, Melbourne lead Partner for management consulting
• Layal Al Ashkar, Lyndale Secondary College alum - Manager, Policy, Economics and Public Impact
• Leah Nassis, Northcote High School alum - Consultant, People and Change
• Mark Geels, Belmont High School alum - Partner, Data and Analytics
• Sarah Bolton, Trafalgar High School alum - Associate Director, Victorian Government Account
• Melissa Nassios, Viewbank College alum - Associate Director, People & Change Team
• Glenn Took, Wodonga West Secondary College alum - Director, Public Sector Practice
• Marie Stella, Pascoe Vale Girls College alum - Manager, Technology Advisory
• Vanessa Tran, Copperfield College alum - Senior Consultant, Contract to Performance
• Sam Reid, Norwood High School alum - Director, Risk Strategy and Technology
• Amy Chinnappa, Macleod College alum - Associate Director, Infrastructure, Assets, Places
• Will Cumming, Melbourne Grammar alum - Associate Director, Cyber Security
• Lili Wackwitz, Brisbane Girls Grammar alum - Consultant, Operations Advisory Team 

Internships and Graduate Programs at KPMG.

Diversity is important to KPMG. They welcome applications from people with all degree backgrounds and experiences, and from both domestic and international students. You don’t need to have work experience to apply for KPMG’s programs, but if you do (including casual or part-time work) they recommend including this on your CV.

Below are the eligibility criteria for KPMG’s different programs:

• Vacation program — A 4-8 week full-time internship open to undergraduates and postgraduates in the second-last year of their degree. It’s a great opportunity to gain insights in day-to-day life at KPMG. The vacation program is a brilliant way for students to determine if KPMG is someone they would like to work and for KPMG to determine the capabilities of the students involved in the Vacation program. This pool of students have an advantage when applying for the Graduate program because they already have their foot in the door at KPMG.
• Graduate program — The KPMG Graduate program is a permanent opportunity with a structured learning pathway for final year undergraduate or postgraduate degree students and recent graduates.
• Foundations program — Students in their pre-penultimate year (have two years left of study) of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree are eligible to apply to join KPMG Australia's Foundations Program. KPMG’s foundations program allows students to explore the endless career possibilities offered at KPMG.The program is a 1-day session designed to provide you with the knowledge to make the right career choices.

More information about the above programs can be found on the KPMG website. https://kpmg.com/au/en/home/careers/graduates.html

2024 KPMG Industry Insights Excursion

We look forward to taking interested Koonung students to the 2024 KPMG Industry Insights session and encourage students that are interested in attending, to let the Koonung Careers team know.

About Koonung’s Alumni Program. 

Koonung’s alumni program is developed in partnership with Ourschool, www.ourschool.net.au, a not-for-profit service that helps government secondary schools build a thriving alumni network to benefit current students and the school community. For more information about Koonung Secondary College’s alumni program please visit here.

Get connected with the Koonung Alumni Program.

Alumni Program Coordinator - Nancy Manders Email alumni@koonung.vic.edu.au

Alumni Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/KoonungSecondaryCollegeAlumni 

Alumni LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14056625/

Connect on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NancyKoonungAlumni/

Nancy Manders

Alumni Program Coordinator

Days of work - Thursday, Friday

LinkedIn - Alumni LinkedIn Group

Facebook - Alumni Facebook Page

Email – alumni@koonung.vic.edu.au