Student Experiences

“I completed a twelve month Industry Placement at Mothers Art Pty Ltd a Melbourne based design and construction facility. I was kept busy on my toes all year as every project presented me with new developments and challenges. For one project I contributed to research, concept development and documentation for a series of way showing artworks that will assist public commuting between Spotswood Station and ScienceWorks Museum (See insert). Our concept was successfully picked and the artworks are being have now been launched (June 2010).”

“Industry Placement opened my eyes to infinite creative and professional opportunities that can’t be grasped just sitting in a classroom. Being able to witness the pitching process and observing people with years of knowledge and experience talk about materials, design and production techniques was immensely rewarding. I now have a deep appreciation and respect for design solutions made possible in a talented, collaborative environment. Now the future looks bigger and brighter.”

Melissa is now completing her Honours year with the added confidence and direction of an Industry Placement. Since finishing her Placement with Mothers Art in 2009 Melissa has been hired as a part time employee, allowing her to compliment her further study with stimulating and practical industry projects.

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The idea of a smaller university was appealing as I feel more comfortable participating and seeking help in smaller classes. Other drawcards for me were the IBL program and the Formula SAE team. The SAE team was something I wanted to be a part of right from the beginning of my studies as learning to work as a team is a skill that is very appealing to future employers

I like that completing work experience in a relevant industry is a requirement for obtaining this degree. It really enforces the fact that your having work experience is very important to potential employers. Swinburne makes it a lot easier to obtain experience by giving you the option of incorporating its Industry Based Learning (IBL) program into your course.

I was involved in a twelve month IBL program at GM Holden after completing three years of my double degree. The experience was fantastic and I got a real insight into the sort of work I could be doing in the industry after I graduate. The industry contacts and friendships I made there will also be very helpful when it comes time to apply for jobs.

Swinburne, as a whole, has benefited my future career. The variety of choices and opportunities presented has given me the chance to experience IBL (Industry-Based Learning), working within small and large groups, and forms of assessment similar to those within the professional world. My program has also opened up an entirely new array of job opportunities I wasn’t aware of until I undertook the course.

I undertook a 12 month placement (IBL) at Swinburne, within the Swinburne Professional Learning department. My work at SPL had several main roles. I assisted with SPL’s website updates, and redeveloped their entire website. I also helped organise various events run by SPL, including academics forums for over 100 attendees.

By undertaking an IBL year, I’ve gained an understanding and an appreciation of what it’s actually like to work within a professional environment. My current website design and maintenance skills have been enhanced throughout my placement, and I’ve added to my portfolio a huge range of experiences and skills that I’ve gained during my time with SPL.

Upon the completion of my IBL year, I was offered an ongoing role within the University. I'm now a part time employee and full time student at Swinburne, and this would not have been possible without my IBL year.

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The Swinburne experience was fantastic from day one. I came out of secondary school really eager to learn and Swinburne gave me every opportunity to develop my skills. As part of my course I was able to have work placement at the Leader Newspaper, where I got to pretend I was a journalist for three weeks.

I liked it so much that I went back for another seven weeks as part of my Media Project. Getting this work experience was crucial in helping me find a job after graduating.

The capstone subjects are a great way to integrate all aspects of a student’s learning over the course of his or her degree. With a team-based approach, in-depth class discussions are the norm from week to week. In Capstone 1: Integrative Business Practice students formed multi-disciplinary teams, working together to integrate their knowledge and offer creative and innovative solutions to current issues within today’s global economy.

The major capstone project was an opportunity to gain insight into the social and organisational structure within today’s workforce, and this semester focused on the replacement of current paperback textbooks to a more integrative e-textbook method of learning. We as consultants were to perform a cost-benefit analysis for all stakeholders involved in the integration of e-Books in our Higher Education system. Swinburne was the university potentially investing in the uptake of e-textbooks and teams had to convince the client (in this case the other students in the class) of the viability of the transition. Teams presented informative posters of their findings to a very high standard.

Overall I think this capstone 1 has set me up for a successful transition into the real-life business proposals after graduation.