When La Trobe first opened its doors in 1967, its mission was to serve the growing suburbs of Melbourne’s north. Located on former farmland in Bundoora, at that time La Trobe’s neighbours were more likely to be livestock than big business. But for people who could not access the CBD or the wealthier southern suburbs, La Trobe ensured a university education was accessible to everyone, no matter their financial circumstances or background.
Now in 2024, Melbourne’s north is a bustling network of municipalities, but La Trobe's mission to serve and contribute to that community still stands. This commitment is visible in La Trobe’s onsite amenities that facilitate sport, health, research and recreation, and through its community and industry partnerships.
One such partnership is with Darebin City Council – in whose municipality La Trobe sits. Darebin partners with La Trobe to provide workplace learning placements, where students can gain practical, industry-led experience. In Semester 1, Bachelor of Business Analytics student Sam George began a placement with Darebin’s Business Improvement team. They found it to be a perfect fit.
“Not only did I get to work with one of my local councils and be part of the community, but I was also given the chance to apply the skills that I've learned throughout my course to a real-world work environment," says Sam.
The placement was project-based over a three-month period, supporting the Darebin City Council team to review service delivery. The work included customer experience research, benchmarking, service analysis and service mapping. Sam was supervised by Karin Linden, Coordinator Business Improvement, who is also a La Trobe Alumna.
“Mentoring a student makes me feel honoured, particularly to give back and pay it forward to the University which supported me when I first set out on my career,” said Karin. “It's rewarding to share my knowledge and experience, helping them navigate their path and achieve their goals.”
An educational connection
When Karin migrated to Australia in the 1980s, she enrolled at La Trobe University to study social sciences. As a migrant and mature aged student, Karin was encouraged by La Trobe’s inclusive ethos.
“La Trobe was a significant and impactful experience for me as I needed additional support with my English,” she says. “The Language Academic Skills Unit (LASU) provided this service for migrants and others that needed it, and as a result, I went from failing in my first assignment to getting high marks for the reminder of the course.”
Her connection has now continued through her supervision of Sam's work placement. “Watching Sam grow and succeed gives me a sense of purpose and reinforces my own learning. It also allows me to contribute positively to their future and to the community, which is both gratifying and inspiring.”
For Sam, the placement was an opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom. As well as completing a defined project with clear structure and outcomes, they could also engage with other teams and projects to learn new skills.
“While aspects like analysis, report writing and survey crafting methodology felt familiar with what I've learned in the classroom, it is an entirely different feeling to be conducting this type of work for the betterment of an organisation,” they said. “I worked with a team that was incredibly welcoming, accommodating and helpful, and being able to produce meaningful or note-worthy insights ultimately felt like a rewarding and interesting future pathway for me.”
A two-way partnership
The benefits of workplace learning for students are clear, but businesses see benefits too, like connecting with top talent and helping to build the next generation of their workforce.
“La Trobe is part of our local community,” says Karin. “Local partnerships foster positive community developments, strengthen local employment opportunities and economic growth. They can lead to joint projects, research initiatives and address community specific challenges.”
Placements also bring new thinking and perspectives to an organisation – tapping into new research or new ways of working.
“The placement allows us to gain insights into how we can take advantage of the ideas and systems generated in a learning environment like a university,” says Karin. “Sam brought a great sense of fun to the Team and took instruction well, while also challenging the task critically when required. It's great to have a student who is willing to learn and take advice but also has the courage to question and offer ideas.”
“At Darebin, we believe these initiatives cultivate a strong sense of community engagement and social responsibility among students – as well as and the communities they are involved with.”
A workforce for the future
To facilitate industry placements like Sam’s, La Trobe has a centralised team to create mutually beneficial partnerships between businesses and students. The La Trobe Talent Team has been highly successful in allocating students to relevant business projects or the day-to-day work in specific industries. Students receive subject credit for placements and ongoing input from their academic and workplace supervisors
If your business would be interested in the benefits of a student industry placement, reach out to the La Trobe Talent team. The team will assist you throughout the process – from developing a placement description, to formalising the arrangement with your chosen student.
