Media release

Learning with a global scope

Australian Catholic University students recently collaborated with the NSW Government on consulting projects and received glowing results.

Faced with a situation where jobs in the business sector are getting more competitive than ever, Australian Catholic University (ACU) is producing unique graduates who have experience across a range a sectors from small NGOs to corporates, and everything in between.

Two groups of international ACU students recently worked with the NSW Government on consulting projects and received glowing results.

The ACU Faculty of Law and Business (FLB) ‘NSW Government Global Scope’ Program offered international students the opportunity to consult on NSW Police Force and the NSW Department of Education projects.

One team consisted of six undergraduate business students from the disciplines of Accounting, Finance, HRM, Marketing, Business Information Systems and Management who worked with the NSW Police on a proposal and business strategy on how to increase the awareness of the Police's Facebook page for international students studying in NSW.

The other team included six undergraduate students from France, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines who had to deliver a consultation paper to the Department of Education addressing the issue of how to engage business and industry with STEM schools.

Business student Madeleine Gregorio said she learnt valuable teamwork, project management skills and consultation skills working with the NSW Police Force.

"Working in a real-world situation like this was a great insight into as to what to expect for my future career," she said.

International student Neelam Airi said she would highly recommend the program to future international students.

"It's great for career development and to get a taste of the real world," she said.

FLB Business Development Manager Maxine Bradshaw said the six-week program involved weekly meetings with business mentors and taught students a range of skills from research and reporting to teamwork, communication, critical thinking, intercultural awareness and leadership.

“Supported by a professional management consultant and a set of industry mentors from the two organisations, student teams developed a proposal and business case to solve a real business issue,” she said.

“All the students demonstrated a willingness to embark on a new experience which has helped to develop their employability, project management and communication skills and their ability to work with Australian business, government departments and diverse groups of individuals.

“It was very pleasing to hear the NSW department managers said that the students provided great insights. I genuinely believe that this project has been transformational; I have witnessed the growth in confidence and personal skills in all of the students.

“ACU is determined to provide students with genuine opportunities to develop their future employability skills by building close working relationships with business, government and organisations.”

The FLB ‘NSW Government Global Scope’ Program will run again in 2017. For more information email maxine.bradshaw@acu.edu.au.

Do you want to start your career in law or business? ACU offers a flexible, work-friendly model to suit your busy lifestyle. You can study via part-time evening classes or full-time weekdays, or mix this up to fit your schedule.