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Today, on Better Student Leaders, Owen Firth, Chief Employability Officer at Readygrad, has spent over 20 years reshaping the graduate employment landscape in Australia. As Founder of Gradability and Ribit.net, and the driving force behind Readygrad’s work-readiness platforms that have connected 20,000 students to 6,000 employers, Owen is one of the nation’s leading voices on employability, WIL and career success. Armed with an MBA from AGSM and decades of recruitment and education experience, he brings clarity to a question every student and university grapples with: how do we turn study into success?
In this episode, we unpack why “no one else wakes up thinking about your career except you,” why “all graduates look the same initially,” and how universities can design employability programs that deliver real results — strategically, sustainably and with impact. As Owen shares on this episode, “If you want better career outcomes, you need Strategic Intent, a Budget to Back it, and a clear Bang for Buck.”
🕒 Key Sections & Timestamps 🕒
00:01 – From Recruitment to Reinvention
Owen shares how frustration with the recruitment industry sparked his career-long mission to fix graduate employability.
04:28 – Why Employability Matters More Than Ever
Universities face a “conversion crisis.” Owen explains how work-integrated learning and career readiness now drive enrolment decisions.
09:36 – The Graduate Myth: “All Graduates Look the Same”
What employers actually see on paper — and how students can differentiate themselves through skills and experience.
14:55 – “No One Else Wakes Up Thinking About Your Career”
A wake-up call for students to own their development and seek out growth opportunities beyond the classroom.
18:42 – Three Steps for University Staff
Owen’s top advice for designing high-impact employability initiatives: Strategic Intent → Budget → Bang for Buck.
23:03 – How to Build Programs That Work
His framework for success: “Have a structured program, give it a name, a brand, and differentiate it.” Real case studies from Readygrad’s 20,000+ placements.
27:10 – What Makes a Better Student Leader
Owen reflects on how student leaders who take initiative, build networks and treat employability as a practice — not a program — stand out for life.
Connect with Owen Firth on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/owenfirth or visit Readygrad here: https://readygrad.com.au/home-pagehttps://readygrad.com.au/home-page
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