Outside of a good education the one thing every student wants is a great career, which is why enhancing a student’s employability through practical skills and real world experience should always be a facet of every curriculum and a priority for educational institutions.
Employability is one of Study Gold Coast’s key goals and is part of our larger strategy to build our city’s reputation as an education and training destination of choice offering a diverse range of career opportunities. To facilitate that objective we work in partnership with our members, the education sector, industry, and the City of Gold Coast along with all levels of government.
One of our employability initiatives is the Kickstart Graduate Program, which is specifically designed to provide graduates with practical workplace skills to build their effectiveness within their organisation.
Kickstart is facilitated by highly experienced training consultants who consult with employers to gain a specific understanding of the vision, values and strategies of their organisation and then work with participants through experiential learning to develop their professional communication, time management, collaboration and leadership skills applied to a workplace project.
The feedback from both employers and employees has been overwhelmingly positive and the Mayor of the City of Gold Coast has officially endorsed the program due to its significance for local industry while promoting the value of hiring international talent.
Our well subscribed www.goldcoaststudentjobs.com.au platform is a dedicated employment site and app that connects the city’s student and graduate talent directly with local employers.
Students can identify opportunities effortlessly, whether it be casual work while studying, a volunteering experience, or an internship without having to make cold calls or sending out random emails in the hope that they might get a response, while graduates can track all advertised local positions relevant to their qualifications and experience. Listings on the portal are free of charge, providing an added incentive for employers to use the site.
In creating a platform that exclusively caters to students and graduates looking for local employment opportunities we’ve been able to meet the needs of both students and the businesses seeking to employ them.
“The opportunity to gain a graduate position within my home city was a very satisfying achievement for me”
We want to give our students every advantage to realise their potential and at the same time facilitate better pathways for businesses to directly engage with our student talent. As the Gold Coast seeks to quickly rebuild its post pandemic economy, this is a win for our students, our employers and our city.
Again, the feedback on this initiative has been well received by employers, our institutions and most importantly, our students, as Madison Bland, a PhD Candidate from Griffith University’s Cities Research Institute explained.
“The opportunity to gain a graduate position within my home city was a very satisfying achievement for me. Having been raised, schooled, and educated on the Gold Coast, securing my first professional position here allows me to continue to live in this idyllic location.
“It’s incredibly important that after dedicating yourself to a university degree, or any other form of tertiary study, that viable local employment options are accessible. Having a dedicated platform that promotes opportunities for Gold Coast students and graduates will only boost the city’s ability to retain intelligent and highly skilled individuals.”
Employability is an economic necessity for the growth and sustainability of any city, however realising those aspirations relies on true collaboration and engagement between industry and the education sector. This is the critical factor in ensuring your city is producing work-ready graduates who bring new ideas and perspectives with the necessary skills to adapt to a rapidly changing work landscape.
They are the next generation of business leaders who will be driving our economy and future success.
About the author: Alfred Slogrove has been an industry leader on the Gold Coast for the past 16 years. As Director of Business Development at TAFE he developed successful partnerships with Gold Coast Health, Advance Queensland and the 2018 Gold Coast Organising Committee, where he negotiated TAFE Queensland’s Tier 1 Sponsorship for the Commonwealth Games which included training the 15,000 volunteers for GC2018.
Alfred also developed and implemented a national ‘Payment Gateway’ through TAFE for a scholarship fund that has benefitted over 2,000 students. The scholarships are offered state-wide, creating opportunities for students from many backgrounds to start their new career path.
Since joining Study Gold Coast in 2019 Alfred led the Regional Reclassification Campaign to ensure the Australian Government granted three-year post study work rights for international students on the Gold Coast and with the advent of COVID-19 Alfred oversaw a number of key support initiatives for international students, including the delivery of over 37,000 chef prepared meals and grocery packs to students in need.
