Did you know that 84% of undergraduate students at UTS undertake internships or similar experiences as part of their courses? We sat down with UTS graduate Vivien to talk about her experiences with internships during her degree, and how this helped her future career.
How did you find your internship?
I studied a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and Management and during my degree I did two internships. In my second year of study, I received the opportunity to work as a business intern and admin assistant at the Australian Marketing Institute by speaking to one of my UTS lecturers. As part of my degree, I also elected to do an internship subject and was able to source an internship at the not-for-profit start-up JA Australia (Junior Achievement Australia) through a work colleague.
What did a typical day look like during your internships?
At the Australian Marketing Institute, my role was mainly focused on business admin which included tasks such as filing and phone calls, as well as packing collateral for some events. While this wasn’t directly related to my degree, it helped me build communication skills that have been so useful in my career and also provided me with informal opportunities to network with potential future colleagues.
My role at Junior Achievement Australia was a very hands on experience, focusing on marketing and event planning, which was more in line with my degree. The main projects I worked on in this role were to create a volunteer kit to send to potential volunteer companies for use, create social media posts, manage student sign ups for the Junior Achievement Program and set up marketing and email automation.
What skills and insights did you gain during your internships?
At both internships, I learnt a lot about how to communicate in a corporate setting, how to network and gained organisational skills that helped me when I joined the workforce after graduating. During my time at JA Australia in particular, I was able to create social media posts for the first time including asset creation through Canva and Photoshop. It was also my first time using marketing automation systems. In my first role after graduating I was able to use this experience to improve the processes the company was using and really elevate their digital presence.
What advice do you have for current and future students?
Firstly, don’t be afraid to ask your tutor or lecturer for advice and potential opportunities in the industry. Don't worry if your internship or work experience isn't very aligned to your degree or future career or if it's just an admin role, having this experience allows you to get your foot in the door and gets you experience while studying at uni. Don’t be discouraged if you haven't done one, it's never too late! Any experience you can get is valuable.
If you have the opportunity to select the internship subject as part of your degree, I highly recommend it! The UTS Careers staff that helped me prepare for my internship in this subject helped me a lot with my resume.