Media student gains industry advantage
Swinburne media and communications student Marlee Amiguet shares her Industry-Based Learning experience of working with Swinburne’s Corporate and Government Affairs.
I visited a number of university open days throughout Year 12 and after stepping foot on Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus I knew it was where I wanted to go.
I loved everything about Swinburne. The campus had a great vibe, a fantastic location, a good range of subjects to choose from, and placed a great emphasis on industry experience with its Industry Based Learning (IBL) program.
IBL gives students the opportunity to undertake six to 12 months of paid work experience in an area relevant to their studies. It was something I was really interested in doing because I knew it would increase my employability after I graduated.
As soon as I completed the first two years of my Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) course, I applied for Swinburne’s IBL program.
Once you’re accepted into the program, you gain access to the IBL Blackboard site, where they list a number of organisations seeking interns and IBL students. You then apply for jobs you’re interested in – as you would in the real world and hope you get called for an interview.
I applied for two jobs and got two interviews which gave me a great confidence boost!
Following my two interviews, I was offered the job of Communications Officer in Swinburne’s department of Corporate and Government Affairs and happily accepted.
I’m currently more than halfway through my IBL placement and could not recommend it highly enough. I’ve learnt so much more from working in a hands-on environment compared to attending lectures and tutorials while attempting to memorise textbooks for end-of-year exams.
I’ve been taught how to write media releases, work the back end of websites and produce digital newsletters for staff and students. I’ve had the opportunity to communicate with journalists from around Australia. I’ve also worked with the Social Media Manager, taking photos and providing ideas for student-relevant content.
Thanks to my IBL placement I now have a much clearer idea of what I want to do in the future.
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