Annalyse Palladini jumped on an opportunity to do a higher apprenticeship with PwC. Now, she’s living the dream.

Annalyse Palladini was never particularly interested in working in tech.

But when she saw an advertisement for PwC’s Higher Apprenticeship Program, she knew she had to apply.

The Higher Apprenticeship Program offers an alternative pathway to those wanting to start a career in professional services.

Instead of having to go to university, get a degree, do a grad program then start working, the program allows you to earn, learn on the job and get your qualification all in one hit.

“When I saw this, I thought it was perfect because I could get into the corporate environment and try the hands-on work, while also getting a qualification,” Annalyse says.

Annalyse completed a Certificate IV in Information Technology followed by a Diploma of Information Technology with Chisholm, studying one day a week and working at PwC the rest of the time.

“There were 14 of us here in Melbourne doing the program and we all got assigned to teams across different lines of service at PwC,” says Annalyse. “I was assigned to DigiTech, which is an internal tech function.”

During the 24-month program, Annalyse rotated between different DigiTech teams, dabbling in project management, support roles and other areas.

“It was great to get training through Chisholm while doing hands-on work with my team,” she says. “It really helped set me up for success.”

Annalyse says she enjoyed the Chisholm learning experience and made loads of friends through her higher apprenticeship.

She excelled during her time at Chisholm and was nominated as Trainee of the Year in the 2022 Chisholm Education Awards.

“Coming into it was really interesting, because I had no tech background at all,” she says. “Through COVID and remote learning, the teachers set up lunchtime drop-in sessions, which I found really helpful. If we had questions about our assessments, the teachers would be there to help.”

After completing her study, Annalyse went on to do the graduate program with PwC.

Her dream is to keep progressing at PwC, as she loves the culture of the organisation and the fact that you’re always learning and developing your skills.

Her advice to others is to “take every opportunity you can”.

“Tech had never crossed my mind before, but jumping into it and having a growth mindset and a positive outlook makes a big difference,” she says. “Just give it a go and do the best you can, and you’ll find things that you enjoy.”