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www.graduateopportunities.com >> career advice
undergrad options
Career Planning: start now with work experience! Many students delay career planning until finishing their degree. It’s easy to think, “I’ve still got a couple of years, there’s plenty of time”. However, you can greatly enhance your graduate employment prospects through the range of available undergraduate work experience options.
Many organisations have formal or informal programs for penultimate or final year students. Work experience can be paid or unpaid, as well as volunteer-based, and can include one-off work experience stints, vacation work placements, longer-term cadetships or scholarships. On- or off-the-job training, instruction and mentoring are often included. These programs are a great way to test out an organisation and significantly increase your chances of landing a graduate position after finishing university.
Opportunities for work-related experience vary depending on your discipline. Some areas such as education or nursing have work placements embedded in the curriculum; in areas like accounting, business and law, faculties often have links with employers offering formal programs. You can also consult directories like GO and your careers service for more assistance.
Keep in mind that certain unpaid work experience activities may be governed by regulations under the Australian Government’s Fair Work Act 2009. For further information, it’s worth discussing this with the employer, and either your uni careers service or faculty advisor. Further details are also found at
www.fwa.gov.au.
What are my work experience options? Cadetship: an employed position offered to students or graduates, designed to provide specific training or mentoring. It can be full- or part-time and varies from formalised, structured schemes to informal arrangements between an individual and an organisation.
Cooperative program: an industry-based learning (IBL) or work-integrated learning (WIL) program consisting of hands-on, full-time experience in the relevant industry. Participation is usually undertaken in your third or fourth year and sometimes involves academic credit.
Internship: similar to a cadetship. It is a supervised work placement arranged between a combination of university, employer and student. It may range from a few weeks part-time to multiple semesters full-time and occurs in a field relevant to your qualification. It may also result in academic credit.
Scholarship: a financial grant provided by government, industry or private organisations. Relevant work experience with the sponsor organisation is often part of the scholarship.
Vacation work: degree-related work (usually paid) often undertaken by students at the end of their second-last year of study. It can often lead to a graduate position, so competition for placements is intense. Winter vacation programs may also be available.
Thanks to the Monash University Office of Employment and Career Development for previous assistance with this article.
> 79%
of bachelor degree graduates undertook paid work during their final year of study. 2010 Australian Graduate Survey; Australian citizens and permanent residents only.
www.graduateopportunities.com www.graduatecareers.com.au www.deewr.gov.au www.myfuture.edu.au www.youth.gov.au
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