Seven years after starting an all-female law firm in Wollongong, Luciana Rossi and Tiana Simicic continue to give University of Wollongong law students and graduates opportunities.
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This Friday Rossi Simicic Lawyers celebrate the second UOW Law graduate they have taken on becoming a solicitor.
"We have had many UOW law students come through and do placements," Ms Simicic said.
"We have employed Kashaya [Kuemmel]. While waiting to be admitted she has been working as a legal clerk. But come February 20 she will employed in the role of a solicitor ... which is really exciting for her and us."
"The firm does specialise in family law so by extension I will be working in family law," Ms Kuemmel said
Mrs Rossi was diagnosed with breast cancer within months of starting the practice.
"We started off with the adversity of me getting sick and then Tiana has had two babies, so we got through that too," she said.
Mrs Rossi is a spokesperson for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and is on the fund-raising committee in Wollongong.
Ms Simicic has also been on many boards and committees in Wollongong and both senior partners mentor law students.
Business workshop
Shellharbour Mayor Marianne Saliba, member for Throsby Stephen Jones and Shellharbour MP Anna Watson were among those present in Warilla on Monday for the launch of a week of workshops, private consultations and networking for local businesses.
Energise Warilla runs until Friday and aims to help small businesses to increase economic activity and generate employment opportunities.
Work mums meet
Illawarra Working Mums is staging its first meeting of the year at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant on Tuesday.
Founder Jonni Nicolaou said guest speaker Julie Rollinson, of Drab2Fab, was doing a Yummy Mummy Style Workshop designed for busy mums who want to look and feel attractive without the hard work.
KidzChildcare preschool is looking after the supervised play area.
Keep it Australian
Could there be opportunities for Illawarra manufacturers if the federal government listens to calls for as much work as possible on Australia's multi-billion-dollar submarines contract to be done locally?
Wollongong companies such as Unanderra-based business ProKote have won work on such massive projects in the past.
In 2011, ProKote painted steel plates for Australia's new air warfare destroyers that were being built at Williamtown.
And that is the kind of opportunity the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council (AAMC) and Australian Industry Group want to encourage following Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane's appointment of chairs of five new Industry Growth Centres this week.
AAMC says there must be careful evaluation of how much of the Future Submarine Program can be done in Australia on a value-competitive basis.
And that should be a critical factor in the procurement decision-making process.
Chairman John Pollaers said defence procurement could act as a bridge to developing skills and technology uptake across the manufacturing sector.
So the tender and evaluation process should encourage Australian companies to come forward and join consortia.
He said the government needed to favour, where possible, proposals that develop Australian advanced manufacturing, and open the way for Australian businesses to participate in global supply chains.
Breakfast for i3net
Meanwhile, the Illawarra Innovative Industry Network (i3net) is holding an industry breakfast forum at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant on Friday to look at other business opportunities for Wollongong manufacturers.
Keeping jobs in the Illawarra is about attracting work from further afield and one of the projects being looked at is Alkane Resources' $1 billion Dubbo Zirconia Project.
Convention for city
More than 600 women from all states will descend on Wollongong in September when VIEW Clubs of Australia marks its 55th anniversary in 2015.
The city has been chosen as the site for the annual national convention that will double as an anniversary celebration.
Grow those profits
A new round of Economic Gardening is starting in the Illawarra on March 24.
The Economic Gardening Program is a free service available to Illawarra businesses to help them achieve increased profits and sustainable growth.
Concert for shelter
The Rotary Club of Fairy Meadow is holding its fourth annual Concert for Shelter at the Builders Club on March 1, 2015.
Scott Radburn and Graham Wilson perform with rising star Charlotte Rhiane to help raise funds for ShelterBox, an international relief charity.
THE DIARY
February 18 - 20 Energise Warilla’s week of workshops, private consultations and networking to assist small businesses.
February 18 - The 21st Wollongong City Centre Retail and Business Awards launch.
Shellharbour City Business Network meeting at The Links Function Room, Shell Cove with Michael Dobie talking about the trust factor.
South Coast Women in Building and Construction breakfast forum at Illawarra ITeC.
Illawarra’s ICT cluster ICTI hosts a free lightning talk in the AIIM Theatre at the University of Wollongong Innovation Campus on Startups in the Gong - From Idea to Reality.February 19 - Launch of a new business partnership between Flagstaff and The Aster Group.
The first in a series of three Auscontact Association events in 2015 will focus on wellbeing.
Wendy Matthews Intimate Concert at Centro CBD.
Shellharbour City Business Network free development workshop on marketing success with Kerrie Elliott at The Links Shell Cove.
February 20 - i3net industry breakfast at the Lagoon Restaurant with Alkane Resources talking about the $1 billion Dubbo Ziconia Project.
Corrimal Chamber of Commerce is holding its first Pop Up breakfast meeting of the year with Minister for the Illawarra John Ajarka at the Corrimal Uniting Church from 7am..
February 21 - Fundraising charity concert for Community Cancer Link at City Diggers Wollongong.
February 22 - Rotary Club of West Wollongong Barefoot Bowls Fundraiser at Wisemans Park Bowling Club for Polio Plus.
Stomping of the Grapes at Crooked River Wines for Sydney Children’s Hospital.
February 23 - The Rotary Clubs of the Illawarra celebrate the 110th Birthday of Rotary International by ‘lighting up’ high points of the Illawarra escarpment.
Introductory session at Cafe Essay for a leadership program Claudia Perry-Beltrame, of Cultural Inspirations, is launching in Wollongong.
February 24 - Illawarra Working Mums Networking Group meeting at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant.
Illawarra ITeC starts the next course in staging, lighting and sound.
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) South Coast chapter hosts a meeting to discuss the work the ACS Foundation is doing with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) at The Builders Club.
February 25 - Illawarra Business Chamber’s February Business After Hours hosted by CareSouth.
The Vocational Training Committee is staging the Illawarra and South East NSW Training Awards regional launch at Skydive the Beach Wollongong.