When I heard about the Professional Placements Week during Swinburne Orientation Week, the decision I made to take on a Professional Placement was an easy one. I wanted to gain real-world experience during the time studying at university and this was the best way to do it.

My role at Major Projects, PAVE at Swinburne University covers creating internal and external-facing marketing content for diverse projects. My routine changes every day, which is great, as it varies with the tasks I am doing and the people I am working with. For example, one day I might film an interview with the project leader at Wantirna campus in the morning and then head back to Croydon to edit footage. Another day I might be conducting on-site visits with project staff at Hawthorn campus and then take up working on pieces of pre-production in the afternoon. Sometimes I even get to participate in full-day event shoots across different locations.

Cindy completed her placement with Major Projects, PAVE, Swinburne.

With the diversity of this role, I get to participate in many projects. Some of the highlights during my placement role include working on the Victorian Training Awards application and Department Projects Overview video, event photography for Job Readiness Program and creating the Canvas video series about Student Success Coaches.

This placement has helped me begin to map out my career path and figure out the potential obstacles I might face in the future in the digital media marketing industry. My time as a marketing officer has helped me develop my skills and confidence so I can avoid or overcome some of the barriers I might face. I’ve built on my resilience, public speaking and leadership skills, which I feel are key for me as a marketing content creator.

  • "This placement has helped me begin to map out my career path and figure out the potential obstacles I might face in the future in the digital media marketing industry."

    Cindy , Bachelor of Media and Communications Professional

Major Projects is a department with a flexible and dynamic culture. It advocates for being collaborative, agile and creative in taking opportunities. This had provided me with a solid understanding that there are often many ways, not just A and B, to solve business problems. One of the critical approaches I learnt is the idea of ‘open collaboration in independent creative work’.

I was fortunate enough to talk, work and network with some excellent people. They are the role models who have inspired me and provided rich insights about the TAFE industry and have persistently helped develop my professionalism.

I believe that taking on a Professional Placement has really helped me become prepared for a full-time job. By applying for positions advertised on lnPlace, I was able to become familiar with the job application procedure. The conversation with employers in the interview really informed me about what employers are looking for in certain industries.

The hands-on practice outside the university environment has allowed me to identify my value, pick up challenges and upgrade skill-sets to adapt to the workplace.

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