The University of Newcastle is encouraging the community to nominate students, local businesses and university staff who have excelled in work placements for their annual Employability Excellence Awards.
Now in their fourth year, the awards recognise students who have gone above and beyond to gain the skills and experience to prepare themselves for the workplace.
This award also aims to celebrate university staff and local businesses who have created outstanding work and learning experiences for students.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky AO explained the importance of recognising the impact of businesses in the awards.
“A Work Integrated Learning experience can give students meaningful, first-hand experience in their chosen field to help them get a taste of their future career and understand the areas that they enjoy the most,” Alex said.
“As a university that is committed to our region, we also recognise the contributions of businesses who take on students.
“For businesses, taking on a student not only gives them practical experience, it creates a pipeline of future talent, helping businesses to identify high-quality graduates and attract and retain students before they graduate.”
Maggie Fulwood, a graduate of Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours), recently undertook a placement with ORS Group in 2022 and her outstanding efforts earnt her the Work Integrated Learning Student of the Year Award in last year’s awards.
She explained that her experience has made her more employable.
“It’s given me the opportunity to practice what I’ve learnt in the classroom in real-life situations,” Maggie said.
“My placement at ORS Group taught me a variety of skills. I’ve learnt to communicate, not only with clients from a variety of backgrounds but also with clinicians doing the same thing and clinicians doing very different things.
“And I’ve also learnt a lot of confidence in this space. I feel the Speech Pathology team at ORS Group is so supportive and helped me to develop confidence and independence.”
Award nominations close on Friday 15 September and recipients will be announced at a gala event on Wednesday 8 November at the University’s Callaghan Campus.
Their achievements will also be celebrated through a virtual exhibition website.
