New Graduate Program shines

LAB³ recognised as a top 10 technology employer for graduates 

After just one year of having launched a graduate program, LAB³ has placed in the Australian 2023 GradConnection Awards as a Most Popular Technology Employer top 10 finalist.

The announcement came as a complete surprise for the crew at LAB³, to find out that in such a short space of time, the company had become one of Australia’s top and most sought-after graduate employers.

“The recognition by GradConnection is a testament to the high-level professionalism of our crew, and their dedication to building such an attractive graduate program.” – Chris Cook, CEO LAB³ 

GradConnection is one of the most successful graduate recruitment websites worldwide. In Australia, they are widely regarded as the most effective careers resource for university talent. 

To decide who is in the running for their annual Awards, employers are ranked by industry based on user behaviour on the GradConnection website. All employers listed on the website are automatically in the running. Rankings are determined by the percentage of 285,000 unique users of the website who applied for positions at employers from January to November 2022. 

“The news of LAB³’s success has arrived just in time to celebrate the start of our 2023 Grad Program. Our five new grads from Sydney and Melbourne will spend the year rotating around every area of our company, from technology practices to sales and business operations,” says Cook. 

Getting to know the LAB³ Grad Program

The launch of the LAB³ graduate program in 2022 was designed to cement LAB³ as an industry leader having founded as a startup in 2017. The program has been designed to pave the way for technology students to get their best foot forward in an organisation which fosters a self-navigated and creative growth pathway. 

“Our leadership team recognised that ensuring the future of our business began with building a future for our people, starting with incoming graduates,” says Samantha Gellis, General Manager – People & Culture, LAB³.

“We decided to offer a grad program, and our teams put our heads together across the company to create a program which prepares emerging young professionals for an accelerated career in cloud technology and engineering.”

From the outset, the plan was to offer a graduate program which stands out, drawing on the unique strengths of the experienced crew. 

“LAB³ has some incredible leaders with experience working for large, global enterprises and as innovators, they have set a new standard for cloud native engineering practices which our graduates get to absorb daily.” – Samantha Gellis, General Manager – People & Culture, LAB³  

However, as Gellis explains, it is not all one-way.  “New, young talent brings fresh ideas, new perspectives and generates different ways of thinking. Our mantra is that while we teach our graduates everything they need to know, we’re also learning a lot from them.”

Fueling the program’s popularity 

To ensure the success of the LAB³ graduate program from day one, the key has been to make the promise to deliver an experience beyond expectation a reality. This includes a focus on learning and growth for the long term. 

“The program truly homes in on the foundational knowledge behind a successful career in tech. We have strategically chosen to include learnings that go beyond just technology practices.” – says Rebecca Vaksman, a member of the Graduate Leadership team, LAB³

The LAB³ program has three pillars: Technology competencies, Business competencies, and Professional Development competencies (which includes a minimum of 6 industry certifications sponsored by strategic technology partners like Microsoft and Hashicorp).  

“The Technology pillar speaks to the tool stack behind LAB3 and the platforms, processes and IaC ways of working. And the business pillar takes things to the next level, putting it all into practice. This enables graduates to understand the context of technology and client facing delivery of projects and business operations,” says Vaksman.

Given the grad program is backed by permanent employment from the get-go, there is extensive mentoring and a huge incentive to support graduates succeed. 

A 360-degree experience beyond expectations 

Throughout the LAB³ graduate program, graduates get to absorb the wisdom of seasoned professionals with mentoring and support, including through:  

• Specifically tailored Masterclasses and Interactive Workshop led by subject matter experts across all practices and disciplines. 
• Secondments in Technology, Sales, Solution Design, Project Management and Managed Services areas. 
• A real taste of client engagement, with several work assignments and shadow initiatives to see and experience what it is like in the consulting world.  

Whilst there is a structured program, the Graduate Leadership team felt it was also important for grads to be given flexibility to shape their own unique experience.  

“We want our grads to feel empowered about the direction of their career and develop a sense of purpose. Our program is designed to introduce the wider possibilities in tech beyond what students are normally aware of during university.” – says Rebecca Vaksman, a member of the Graduate Leadership team, LAB³

After the year-long program has passed, grads get to select their specialisation of choice and begin their engineering careers. All four graduates from the 2022 program now have engineering roles with LAB³.  

Continuous improvement is always on the go 

As with all things tech, the LAB³ graduate program is continuously being improved. Going into year two, the Graduate Leadership team has built on the first year’s offering.  

“Continuous improvement is our way of working across everything at LAB³, and we are already striving to take things to the next level. This year, you will see us partner with more universities, be more vocal in industry events, and build relationships with students much earlier in their studies,” says Vaksman.

“Be prepared to see the LAB³ program reach new heights and feature on more recognition lists across Australia (and hopefully very soon, New Zealand!) because we sure are!”