source : the age
Even while you’re focused on deciding what course you’ll study next year, plenty of people will already be asking you: “What do you want to do after uni?”
It might be easy to answer if you already have a dream job in mind and the university course that will help you land it. But it’s a big question to throw at you if you’re not sure what you want to do after uni and instead are keeping your career options open.
Either way, the world of work is being transformed (just think of the dramatic impact of AI); jobs don’t stay the same, and it’s possible you’ll have more than one career in your lifetime.
So, at a time of massive change, how does a uni course set you on a path to achieve your ambition, or open avenues that ensure you can adapt and have an impact in whatever path you take after university?
An academic qualification – a diploma or degree – is at the heart of what universities offer and what employers will look at when you apply for a job.
But surveys show employers are looking for more than academic achievement. They prize analytical and creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, leadership and social skills – and the fast-growing demand for skills in AI and technology literacy.
Student ‘capabilities’ underpin job-readiness
Many of those same skills were mentioned by employers with whom La Trobe University consulted when building its Career Ready Advantage, a program designed to prepare students for the workplace.
It’s based on a framework focused on building capabilities – communications and literacy skills allowing you to build relationships, personal and professional skills of leadership and teamwork, and analytical skills that allow you to interpret data.
To shape those skills, the Career Ready Advantage’s integrated package is built into undergraduate courses. It has three components: access to professional learning; support with gaining practical experience in workplaces and community activities; and a career portfolio that showcases your skills, experience and accomplishments to potential employers.
Academic courses remain the essential foundation. If you’re in year 12, you’ll need to check universities’ online course guides to see if they offer the range of subjects you’re interested in and if you meet entry requirements.
A good place to start is La Trobe’s Year 12 Hub which has handy links to useful resources that will help you navigate application processes. You can also explore La Trobe’s extensive and growing range of course offerings, in diverse disciplines including health, science, engineering, arts, law and IT. A new addition is an Australian first – an honours degree in artificial intelligence engineering.
Depending on your lifestyle, you might want to consider if the university offers you flexibility so you can blend online study to your on-campus degree.
And depending on where you live, you’ll want to check campus locations. La Trobe, for example, has seven campuses – two in Melbourne, one in Sydney and four in regional Victoria, including its Shepparton campus which has recently had a $20 million expansion.
Another question is: how does a university fill the gap between an academic qualification and all those additional skills that employers are looking for?
Embedding industry experience, AI skills
La Trobe has responded to this challenge by building practical experience into courses through work-integrated learning. Over half of its bachelor’s degrees already include compulsory industry experience.
Students studying healthcare subjects at La Trobe, for example, have a real-world impact while gaining practical experience at the recently opened La Trobe Health Clinic at its Bundoora campus.
Vice chancellor Professor Theo Farrell says that by embedding clinical training within a working health service, “we are giving students the confidence and practical experience they need to enter the workforce, while also improving access to care for people who need it most”.
Where industry experience is not compulsory, many La Trobe courses let students choose a placement or industry project as an elective, while multidisciplinary industry projects allow them to apply learning in a simulated workplace, connect with industry professionals, and contribute to solving a problem for an industry or community organisation.
With AI reshaping every industry, La Trobe is embedding AI capabilities across all its teaching and learning – not just technology degrees – so students in all disciplines can develop skills and confidence to work with emerging technologies.
This integrated approach to academic courses, enhanced by building skills, experience and connections, means graduates can have an impact in a professional workplace from day one.
One other thing to consider when looking at university options: remember your uni experience extends beyond the classroom. So, check out student clubs and societies, sport and fitness facilities, and student support services. Becoming part of the student community helps forge networks and enhances the social skills that are in demand in whatever career you choose.
Finally, independent evidence of the success of La Trobe’s approach is in the national Employer Satisfaction Survey that measures how well graduates meet employer demand, and La Trobe rates among the top three Victorian universities. A similar survey shows La Trobe’s graduate full-time employment outcomes also rank among the top three.
For more information, visit latrobe.edu.au
