Getting students job ready the focus of IT workshop

Deakin University School of Information Technology students had the opportunity to polish their skills for being job ready at an employability workshop hosted by the school in collaboration with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) in September.

The evening, which was held at the Deakin Melbourne Corporate Centre, saw IT industry professionals and Deakin IT students come together for a fast-paced, experiential learning experience. The event was the first of its kind for the school and was a great success, receiving positive encouragement from participants.

To attend the workshop, students were required to undergo an interactive application process through applying for mock graduate IT roles. A select few were then shortlisted for mock interviews, giving them a unique opportunity to trial their interviewing skills in front of a panel of IT professionals and benefit from personal feedback and mentoring. Students Bahadir Bora, Digvijay Singh and Wildan Al Hazmi were recognised for their outstanding performances and awarded ACS student memberships on the evening.

A number of industry professionals from a range of organisations contributed to the evening, including representatives from the School of IT Advisory Board, Telstra, Accenture and Experis. Students had the opportunity to engage and network with the industry guests and participated in a series of small interactive workshops covering a variety of topics such as CV writing, knock-out interviews, entrepreneurship and personal branding.

‘LinkedIn and resume workshops were an eye-opener on things that I as an applicant really needed for my job-search,’ noted one student.

‘It was an intensive, interactive experience that equipped me with practical knowledge, tools and tips and I learned more on this topic in one fast-paced evening than I ever imagined I could,’ commented another.

Professor John Yearwood, Head of Deakin’s School of Information Technology, sees such events as an important aspect of the student learning experience that improves graduate employment outcomes. He reaffirmed the success of the event.

‘The workshop was a palette of well organised and very motivated speakers from industry that really hit the target for students,’ Professor Yearwood said.

‘The students clearly found it an exceptional opportunity to be able to engage with employers from the IT sector, and found it one of their most valuable experiences.’

Ms Karen Gee, General Manager Business Technology Services, Global Services, Telstra, echoed the positive feedback.

‘It was great to be involved and the benefits are well rounded for the candidates, the University and the industry. I enjoyed the engagement with the students and the colleagues on the panel, it’s great to have insight of the talent coming in to the industry,’ Ms Gee noted.