Learning from experience with the Adelaide Graduate Award
We know that our students who gain work and volunteering experience while they are studying, either through an internship or placement, or alongside their degree via co- and extra-curricular activities, often have an advantage when looking for their first opportunity after graduation.
Employers value experience as well as the technical and transferable skills graduates develop through their degrees.
The Adelaide Graduate Award is a free co-curricular experiential learning program available to all University of Adelaide students that was established to encourage students to gain experience alongside their studies and complements the skills that students develop through the curriculum by providing a framework for development of employability skills gained from extra-curricular experiences.
Students participate in work experience and volunteering activities, develop their understanding of the skills they have gained through these experiences, and receive formal University recognition of extra-curricular achievements on their official transcript.
Cheryl Wong and Philippa Levy, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Learning)
Cheryl Wong, a final year student in the Bachelor of Media (Journalism), has been actively involved in extra-curricular experiences alongside her degree. She has been a Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor to fellow students, supported on-campus events such as Open Day, and acted as an event marshal for the Australia Day Parade (to name just a few of her experiences!).
Cheryl believes the Award is “a great opportunity for young professionals to get industry experience, from observing as a volunteer to creating our own projects and putting our knowledge into practice.”
Cheryl achieved the Award in 2019 and remains keenly involved in extra-curricular activities, currently volunteering as a community television Field Reporter for Channel 44. Cheryl has found links between what she has learned in the classroom and her extra-curricular activities –
“I have made connections between my studies and extra-curricular activities by reaching out to student volunteers and industry professionals and constructing my segments for community TV. This includes understanding media theory, practicing journalism techniques and using my creativity to bring a broadcast series together while advancing my industry knowledge through supervisors' feedback.”
We need your help to get the message out to students about the Adelaide Graduate Award. We are asking staff to encourage students to join the Award.
The Employability Team has developed communication resources which staff can use to promote the program during lectures, on MyUni, or at student events.
The resources can be downloaded from the Adelaide Graduate Award website and if you have any questions about the program please feel free to contact graduateaward@adelaide.edu.au